Scientific Arguments
What are the main parts of our scientific argument?
Question, Claim, Evidence, Reasoning
What is a tectonic plate?
A large, moving piece of Earth's outer layer.
What is the outermost layer of Earth called?
The Crust/ Lilthosphere
What is a fossil?
Preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism.
What planet did we investigate using images from the Curiosity rover?
Mars
What is a scientific claim?
A statement that answers a scientific question.
What is the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago?
Pangea
Is Earth's outermost rocky layer solid or liquid?
Solid.
What prehistoric reptile did we study in our Plate Motion investigation?
Mesosaurus.
What were the two possible causes of the channel on Mars?
Flowing water or flowing lava.
What should you use to support your claim?
Scientific evidence, such as observations or data.
What happens at a divergent plate boundary?
Two plates move away from each other.
What is the thick layer of Earth beneath the crust called?
The mantle
Why was finding Mesosaurus fossils on different continents surprising?
Mesosaurus was a freshwater reptile and could not have crossed a vast ocean.
Which rock is commonly formed by cooling lava: basalt or conglomerate?
Basalt.
What does reasoning explain?
How or why the evidence supports the claim using science ideas.
What happens at a convergent plate boundary?
Two plates move toward each other.
What is the difference between the outer core and inner core?
The outer core is liquid; the inner core is solid.
What does finding matching fossils on continents separated by an ocean suggest?
The continents were once connected.
What features of conglomerate suggest that water may have been involved in its formation?
Rounded pebbles or rock fragments cemented together, consistent with transport by flowing water.
A scientist says, 'The continents moved because the same fossils were found on different continents.' Identify the claim and the evidence.
The continents moved. Evidence: Matching fossils were found on different continents.
What happens at a transform plate boundary?
Two plates slide past each other.
What is the lithosphere made of?
The crust and the rigid uppermost mantle.
Scientists find matching rock layers and fossils in South America and Africa. What claim could this evidence support?
South America and Africa were once connected and later moved apart.
Complete our Mars argument: 'Flowing water formed the channel because...
Accept an explanation connecting observed rounded pebbles or conglomerate with transport and deposition by flowing water.