Virginia SOL 5.1.d.i
The Standard
construct and/or support arguments with evidence, data, and/or a model
Virginia Standards of Learning for Science · The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students answer a science question with a clear claim. They use relevant observations, measurements, or a model, then explain why that evidence supports the claim.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can choose evidence that directly matches a claim and describe the link between them. The student can spot weak, missing, or conflicting evidence and revise an explanation.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat an opinion as a claim or list numbers without explaining what the numbers show. They may choose evidence because it sounds scientific, even when it does not address the question. Some think one unusual result proves the whole claim.
How to Assess It
- Give students these results: three bean plants in light grew 5, 6, and 6 cm, while three in darkness grew 1, 0, and 1 cm. Ask, “Does light support bean plant growth? Write a claim, cite two data points, and explain how they support it.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Teams test wet paper towel brands by adding coins until each tears, record results, and write a claim about strength.
Read two explanations of the same plant-growth data, then underline evidence and explain in writing which explanation is better supported.
Play an evidence-sort game: place fact cards under “supports,” “does not support,” or “needs more information,” then defend one placement.
Compare two local weather forecasts with actual temperatures, then decide which forecast was more accurate and cite the matching data.
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Related Standards
- LS.1.f.iii
construct, use, and/or present an argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning
- PS.1.d.ii
construct arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning
- PS.1.f.iii
construct, use, and/or present an oral and written argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning
- 6.1.f.iii
construct, use, and/or present an argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning
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