Something in the Air
Imara and Alexis are wondering where the water on the outside of the glass of water with ice comes from.
They each have a different idea:
Note: The numerical scores indicated in the scoring rubrics were for research purposes. Higher scores indicate higher quality argumentation. We encourage you to use a scoring scheme that matches your present goals for students.
A How could you argue that Imara’s idea is wrong?
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| Level | Description | Student Responses |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Student provides any reasonable explanation why Imara could be wrong. |
Read the science book. If water fell out of the glass then there should be a bigger puddle of water, and the chance of water falling by itself and covers 90% of the glass with droplets is pretty low. Nobody touched the glass cup in order to make it shake. If it came from over the glass, there would be an amount of water loss. It could also be there because of humidity |
| 1 |
Student provides an explanation why Imara is wrong but the explanation may be incomplete or weak. But it does show reasoning that extends beyond the question givens. (It is not enough to merely state that what Imara proposes just does not happen.) |
How did it go over the glass? I’ll ask how did the water from inside of the cup come over the top of the glass. Because you don’t always fill your cup all thew way to the top, you could have just a little bit and it still does that. |
| 0 |
Student provides no real reason, e.g.:
|
Because it come from inside the cold glass water. The water over the top glass didn’t go over. Because how did water evaporate to side of glass. arguing against the wrong idea |
B How could you argue that Alexis’ idea is wrong?
…
| Level | Description | Student Responses |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Student provides any reasonable explanation why Alexis could be wrong. |
It didn’t come from the air because it might have just been the person’s wet hands or it spilled onto the glass. Good alternatives, but missing explanation why they are reasonable.
Because the air is not cold enough to make it form. The air might not be damp The air do not have water. |
| 1 |
Student provides an explanation why Alexis is wrong but the explanation may be incomplete or weak. But it does show reasoning that extends beyond the question givens. (It is not enough to merely state that what Alexis proposes just does not happen.) |
That the air can’t just become water and stick on the glass. Because it came from the ice. Weak reason.
|
| 0 |
Student provides no real reason, e.g.:
|
You can’t because the ice is cold and it turns the moist air into water. Argues against the wrong idea.
Alexis answer is wrong because water can’t come from air. |
Imara thinks of a way to test the two ideas. She wipes the water off the glass and measures the height of the water in the glass. After an hour, she notices that the drops of water on the glass have returned and the height of the water in the glass has not changed.
C Whose idea does this support, Imara or Alexis? Explain why you think it supports Imara or Alexis.
This idea supports Imara or Alexis because ….
| Level | Description | Student Responses |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Student chooses Alexis and provides a good and complete explanation why the evidence supports her claim. (The student uses the data provided to support Alexis’s idea or rebut Imara’s idea.) |
Student chooses Alexis:
I think that Alexis is right because if the water level has not changed how does it come from the top of the glass Student chooses Alexis:
Because the amount of water is the same so it couldn’t have overflowed. |
| 1 |
Student chooses Alexis and provides some explanation why the evidence supports her claim. The explanation may be incomplete, not scientifically correct, or just repeats information provided, but shows some reasoning. OR Student chooses Imara and provides a good and complete explanation why the evidence supports her claim. |
Student chooses Alexis:
The water from the air returned, and was not water that spilled over. Something is attracting that water to the cup. Student chooses Alexis:
said the water air comes from the air. Student chooses Alexis:
because the air must have been hot. Student chooses Alexis:
water vaporize attracted onto the water glass Does support Alexis but does not refer to data.
Student chooses Alexis:
The height of the water didn’t change Does not explain how that supports Alexis.
|
| 0 |
Student chooses Alexis but no reasoning is provided.
OR Student chooses Imara and provides some explanation why the evidence supports her claim. The explanation may be incomplete, not scientifically correct, or just repeats information provided. |
Student chooses Alexis:
Because she is right. Student chooses Imara:
because air is part of H20 so water falls into the cup but we can’t see it. |
