Archive: Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of Argument in Science Writing, December 17, 2012

This web seminar took place on December 17, 2012, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The presenters were Jay Staker and Dr. Lori Norton Meier. In this program Mr. Staker and Dr. Norton Meier discussed new ways to make hands-on science activities more inquiry friendly and learner centered.


In this web seminar the presenters talked about the connections between learning and argument. They asked participants to define teaching and learning, as well as argument and explanation. Participants then had a chance to practice developing claims and evidence by completing an exercise in which they solved a murder mystery. The presenters then described the vital link between science and language and provided details about the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. They shared a lab activity and strategies for using SWH in the classroom.


Seminar participants received an NSTA SciGuide. A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' My PD Record and Certificates area in the NSTA Learning Center for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

View the Archive Video

To view the presentation slides from the web seminar and related resources, visit the resource collection. Continue discussing this topic in the community forums.

Below are comments from individuals who attended the seminar:

  • "I learned more about argumentation, explanation, scientific literacy, evidence and using them in the classroom."
  • "I really enjoyed the suspense story to practice claims, evidence and prior knowledge."

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' account page for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

For more information contact: [email protected]

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