Grade level
Analyzing and interpreting data
Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Cause and Effect
Energy and Matter
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
In small groups, students discussed the clues collected throughout the unit, to try to make sense of the mystery of the lake’s disappearance. They organized their clues using a t-chart posted in Google Classroom, which included a side for the clues that could help explain the mystery, and a side for clues that they didn’t think could help explain the disappearance of the lake.
Students are observed thinking back to explorations and discussions they had throughout the unit about how a lake might form, how water moves, water as a resource for humans to survive, and weather. They are seen using that information to then make sense of whether or not the clues could be used to find the reason for the lake’s disappearance. Although this is at the end of the unit, student thinking is diverse across groups (Samples A, B, and C). All groups generally recognize that over time the water was used up and there was not enough water to sustain the lake. However, there is disagreement about the relevance of other items like the role of water beading up, the role of absorption, or the role of water on a flat surface. In Sample D, we hear from a student who provides a rationale for not including water pooling, reasoning that the water is no longer present so that is not addressing the question at hand.
