Skill companion: Evidence-Based Arguments (Year 9)

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Skill companion · Year 9 Science Inquiryseegongsik /au

Evidence-Based Arguments: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one inquiry skill: building an argument from a variety of evidence, weighing the quality of each source, answering the evidence that disagrees, and accessing, using and citing other people’s data and knowledge ethically and with respect for cultural protocols. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you already teach.

AC9S9I07

construct arguments based on analysis of a variety of evidence to support conclusions or evaluate claims, and consider any ethical issues and cultural protocols associated with accessing, using or citing secondary data or information

What a skill companion is

Inquiry skills are not a topic of their own. They grow inside the science units a class teaches all year, from Body Systems to Chemical Equations. So this pack is not a full term of lessons. It is three reusable scaffolds, a map of where they fit, and a short stand-alone lesson for teaching the skill on its own first.

Start here: five minutes

Read the pairing map on the next page: it shows a claim, three kinds of evidence and an ethical step for each topic.
Print the argument builder whenever a class argues a conclusion, and the source-weighing sheet as practice.
Cut out the cards once. They are reused all year.
Open the free interactive unit on your board when you want a worked example of the skill.
Run the one-page mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill before folding it into a topic.

The step up from Year 8

In Year 8 students built an argument from secondary data. In Year 9 the argument rests on a variety of independent evidence, each source is weighed for quality, the evidence that disagrees is answered openly, and the conclusion is scoped to what the whole body of evidence carries. Using someone else’s data or knowledge brings duties too: a licence to read, a source to credit, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, permission and protocols to follow.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. On screen, students switch “Read the pattern in one record (example figures)” to “Line graph”, sort statements in “Build the case from a variety of cited evidence”, weigh three choices in “How should you access the Traditional Owner records?”, and step through “Watch the conclusion follow the variety of evidence”.

seegongsik.com/au/y9/inquiry/AC9S9I07

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S9I07). This pack is original material from seegongsik, independently produced and not endorsed by ACARA. Curriculum content descriptors are (c) ACARA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

Where the skill fitsPairing map

Slot the skill into your science lessons

Every topic ends in a conclusion worth arguing. This map gives a claim for each Year 9 topic, three independent kinds of evidence a class could bring to it, and an ethical or cultural step in using that evidence.

When you teach	A claim to argue	A variety of evidence	An ethical or cultural step
Body Systems and Negative Feedback (AC9S9U01)	Regular exercise lowers the resting heart rate over months.	Class pulse records across a term; a health agency’s guidance; a published study	Keep classmates’ health data private: numbers or initials only
Reproduction in Animals and Plants (AC9S9U02)	Cuttings give new plants sooner than seeds do.	A class trial of both; a nursery growing guide; a botanic garden fact sheet	Take cuttings only with permission; cite the guide and fact sheet
The Carbon Cycle (AC9S9U03)	Carbon dioxide in the air has risen since 1960.	A monitoring station record; ice-core measurements; a cited summary report	Read each dataset’s licence, and cite its source and year
Wave and Particle Models of Energy (AC9S9U04)	Sound travels faster through solids than through air.	A long metal fence tapped at one end, heard twice at the far end; a published table of sound speeds; a physics reference	Cite the table; say which figures are the class’s own
Conservation of Energy and Efficiency (AC9S9U05)	Ceiling insulation cuts the energy needed to heat a home.	A class model-house test; a government energy-rating guide; a published study	Credit the guide and the study; do not claim their figures as measured
The Atom and Radioactive Decay (AC9S9U06)	Every radioactive isotope decays with its own half-life.	The class dice model; a published table of half-lives; a cited textbook	Say clearly that the dice are a model, not radioactive
Chemical Equations and Conservation of Mass (AC9S9U07)	Mass is conserved when a reaction happens in a closed container.	A class balloon-capped bottle test; textbook equations; the history of the law	Cite the history; credit the scientists by name

The three moves, and the picture that backs each one

When you want a worked example on the board, open the interactive unit and use the picture that matches the move.

Build from a variety of cited evidence: “Build the case from a variety of cited evidence”.
Access and credit knowledge rightly: “How should you access the Traditional Owner records?”.
Let the conclusion follow the whole body of evidence: “Watch the conclusion follow the variety of evidence”.

Scaffold 1 · Argument builderOne per student

Claim, evidence, reasoning, and the evidence against

NameClassDate

A strong argument draws on several independent sources, explains with science why they support the claim, answers the evidence that disagrees, and credits every source honestly.

My claim

The evidence: at least three independent sources

Source (who, year)	What it shows	Quality	May I use it? How do I credit it?

Reasoning: why the evidence supports the claim

Use a science idea, not only the numbers.

The evidence against, and my answer to it

My conclusion, scoped to the evidence

References

Author or organisation, year, title, and where it can be found. Traditional Owner knowledge: credited as the group asks.

Scaffold 2 · Weigh the sourcesOne per student

Five sources, one claim

NameClassDate

Claim: “Our school’s solar panels make less electricity in winter than in summer.” Weigh each source before you use it: who made it, how good it is, what it says about the claim, and what you must do to use it rightly.

Source 1, the inverter’s totals (kWh): Jan 820, Apr 610, Jul 430, Oct 700.

Source	Primary or secondary?	Quality	Supports, qualifies, or too weak?	To use it rightly, I must
1. The school inverter’s monthly totals for last year, downloaded by the class
2. A government map of average daily sunshine by month, free to reuse with credit
3. A forum post titled “Solar panels don’t work in winter”, with no name or data
4. A panel maker’s data sheet: panels convert sunlight a little better when they are cold
5. A local Traditional Owner group’s seasonal calendar, describing the short, cool days of winter

Build the argument

Write a paragraph that argues the claim from the strong sources, explains why winter gives less electricity, answers the forum post and the data sheet, and credits each source you use.

Scaffold 3 · Evidence cards (cut out)Reuse all year

Strong evidence, weak evidence, or an ethical step?

Cut out the cards. Lay down the three grey heading cards, then sort the cards under them. On the blank cards, write one from your own argument for each heading.

Strong evidenceIndependent, cited and of good quality.Heading

Weak evidenceUnsourced, cherry-picked, one-off or self-serving.Heading

Ethical or cultural stepHow to access, use or cite evidence rightly.Heading

One hot summer everyone remembers.Card A

Ask the Traditional Owner group before citing its seasonal knowledge, and follow its protocols.Card B

A national agency’s temperature series, cited with its source and year.Card C

Figures copied from an unnamed blog.Card D

Only the warmest years, with the cooler ones dropped.Card E

Three records, made by different teams with different methods, that agree.Card F

Read the dataset’s licence before reusing its figures.Card G

The school’s own logged data, with the method written down.Card H

A product advertisement’s claim about its own product.Card I

A peer-reviewed study, cited with its authors and year.Card J

Credit each dataset’s authors and year in the reference list.Card K

One website that says “everyone knows”.Card L

Strong evidence in my argument:

Write your own

Weak evidence in my argument:

Write your own

Ethical or cultural step in my argument:

Write your own

Teacher note: the piles are not the same size. The answer sheet lists which card is which, and why.

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

Argue it from the evidence, and credit it

Use this stand-alone lesson to teach the skill on its own, before you fold it into a science topic. Tables argue one claim, that the school’s solar panels make less electricity in winter, from five sources: the school’s own figures, a government sunshine map, a forum post, a panel maker’s data sheet and a Traditional Owner seasonal calendar. Weighing them shows that a strong argument rests on several good sources, answers the awkward one, and uses each source rightly.

We are learning to

construct an argument from a variety of evidence, weighed for quality,
answer evidence that seems to disagree, instead of leaving it out,
access, use and cite secondary data and cultural knowledge ethically.

Success criteria

I can argue the claim from at least three sources and explain it with science.
I can say what must happen before each source is used, and credit it correctly.

You need

the source-weighing sheet (scaffold 2), one per student, and the argument builder (scaffold 1) for the next lesson,
the cards from scaffold 3, one set per table. If your school has an inverter display, a photo of last year’s monthly totals makes source 1 real.

Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)

5 min	The claim Read the claim and source 1 together. Ask: “Is our own data enough to settle it? What could a second, independent source add?”
10 min	Weigh the sources Tables fill the source-weighing table for all five sources. Show the board (see the box). Ask: “The data sheet says panels work better when cold. Does that sink the claim, or sharpen it?”
5 min	Sort the cards Tables sort the cards under the three heading cards. Ask: “Why is the seasonal calendar an ethical step as well as evidence?”
10 min	Write the argument Each student writes the paragraph on scaffold 2, then reads it to a partner, who checks that every source is credited.

Running it shorter? Weigh the sources in this lesson, and write the argument in your next science lesson.

On the board

For a worked example, open the unit and try the three choices in “How should you access the Traditional Owner records?”, then step through “Watch the conclusion follow the variety of evidence”.

seegongsik.com/au/y9/inquiry/AC9S9I07

Watch for these ideas

Counting sources instead of weighing them: five weak sources do not make a strong case.
Leaving out the source that seems to disagree, instead of explaining it.
Treating knowledge that is described in public as free to use without asking.

Make it easier, make it bigger

Easier: give the paragraph frame “Our claim is … Source … shows … This happens because … Although …, …”.
Bigger: find a real public dataset for your own town, read its licence, and add it as a sixth source.

Answers and look-fors

The next sheet has the worked source table, a paragraph at standard, the card key, and a quick three-level guide. If your school works with a local Traditional Owner group, ask how its seasonal knowledge may be shared before using a calendar in class.

Answers · For the teacherModel responses

Answers and look-fors

Weigh the sources

No.	Kind	Quality	The claim	Because	To use it rightly
1	primary	high	supports	July made about half of January.	Say how and when it was downloaded.
2	secondary	high	supports	Shorter days and a lower sun give less sunshine in winter.	Credit the agency, the map and the year, as its licence asks.
3	secondary	low	too weak	No data or author, and it overstates: the panels still work.	Leave it out, or mention it only to show the claim goes too far.
4	secondary	medium	qualifies	The cold is not the cause: the winter drop must come from less sunlight.	Cite the maker and the model; treat a maker’s figures with some care.
5	secondary	high	supports	Long observation of the seasons, held by the community.	Ask the group first, follow its protocols, and credit it as the group asks.

A paragraph at standard

Our school’s solar panels make less electricity in winter than in summer. The inverter’s totals for last year fall from 820 kWh in January to 430 kWh in July, about 52% of the summer figure (school data, downloaded by our class). A government sunshine map, used under its licence with credit, shows fewer hours of sunshine each winter day, because the days are shorter and the sun sits lower, so less light energy reaches the panels. The panel maker’s data sheet says the panels convert light a little better when they are cold, so the cold is not the cause; the drop comes from the light. A forum post claiming that panels “don’t work in winter” gives no data and goes too far: ours made 430 kWh in July. With the group’s permission, its seasonal calendar would add long local observation of the short winter days. The evidence supports the claim for our school’s panels.

Evidence cards

Card	Card text	Pile	Why
A	One hot summer everyone remembers.	Weak evidence	One season, from memory, with no data.
B	Ask the Traditional Owner group before citing its seasonal knowledge, and follow its protocols.	Ethical or cultural step	The knowledge belongs to its community.
C	A national agency’s temperature series, cited with its source and year.	Strong evidence	Independent, checked and citable.
D	Figures copied from an unnamed blog.	Weak evidence	No author or source to check.
E	Only the warmest years, with the cooler ones dropped.	Weak evidence	Cherry-picked: the record is no longer honest.
F	Three records, made by different teams with different methods, that agree.	Strong evidence	Independent sources pointing the same way.
G	Read the dataset’s licence before reusing its figures.	Ethical or cultural step	Reuse must be allowed.
H	The school’s own logged data, with the method written down.	Strong evidence	Primary data that others could check.
I	A product advertisement’s claim about its own product.	Weak evidence	The source gains from the claim.
J	A peer-reviewed study, cited with its authors and year.	Strong evidence	Checked by other scientists before publication.
K	Credit each dataset’s authors and year in the reference list.	Ethical or cultural step	Honest citing lets readers find and check the source.
L	One website that says “everyone knows”.	Weak evidence	Popularity is not evidence.

A quick three-level guide

Move	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Use a variety of evidence	rests on one source, or on memory	draws on three or more independent sources, weighed for quality	explains why the sources agree, from how each was made
Reason and answer back	lists evidence without explaining it	explains the claim with science and answers the evidence that seems to disagree	scopes the conclusion to exactly what the evidence carries
Access and cite ethically	copies figures without a source	checks the licence, credits each source, and asks before using cultural knowledge	follows a community’s protocols for how its knowledge is shared and credited

Cultural knowledge note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge belongs to its community. Ask before using it, follow the community’s protocols for sharing and credit, and respect a request not to use it.