OpenSciEd Unit 6.1 · Lesson 03 · 3.A
Look for: As students share their testable questions an…
From Teacher Edition
Facilitation guidance from the lesson plan — what to notice in student thinking and how to respond while teaching.
Building towards
3.A Ask a testable question to determine how an object’s material (structure; Independent variable) influences the amount of light transmitted and reflected (function; dependent variable).
What to look / listen for
As students share their testable questions and select one to use in the second investigation, listen for
accurate identification of the dependent variable and independent variable, and
an understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship between the dependent and independent variables.
What to do
If students have difficulty identifying independent and dependent variables for this investigation, write the question frame “How does _________ affect _________?” on a whiteboard or chart paper. Write “one-way mirror,” “glass,” “regular mirror,” “amount of light transmitted,” and “amount of light reflected” on large sticky notes and let students place a sticky note in each blank. Read and discuss the resulting question to determine if the cause-and-effect relationship is correct. Continue to use this process until students correctly identify which sticky notes have independent variables and which have dependent variables.