Year 9 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 15
Apply Worksheet
Learning Goals
True or False? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F for each statement. If the statement is false, rewrite it correctly on the line below.
A scientific argument is made of a claim, evidence and reasoning.
Correct it:
A large number of likes is strong evidence that a claim is true.
Correct it:
A graph axis that starts above zero can make a small change look much larger.
Correct it:
A correlation in the data proves that one thing caused the other.
Correct it:
Scenario
A viral post claims: "Our new brain supplement boosts memory by 40 percent." It shows a bold graph whose vertical axis starts at 35 instead of 0, quotes one happy customer, and has over fifty thousand likes. There is no link to a peer-reviewed trial.
(a) Where does the "evidence" in this post come from, and why is it weak? Give one reason.
(b) Explain what the graph's vertical axis starting at 35 does to how the result looks, and name the unit skill that spots it.
(c) The customers who took the supplement also studied more. Explain why this means the link is correlation rather than proven causation.
1. Deciding whether to buy the supplement is partly evidence and partly values. Give one evidence question and one values question you would ask before deciding.
2. Write a one-sentence claim about whether to trust the supplement post, then back it with one piece of evidence and one line of reasoning.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?