Show Cause without Overclaiming

Worked classroom example

Science

Worked example

“Plants in brighter light grew taller in this sample. Light may have contributed, but water and soil conditions were not recorded.”

Teaching sequence

1. Prepare a chart showing plants in brighter light grew taller, with other conditions unrecorded. Introduce show cause without overclaiming with one clear success criterion: use because or may be related to according to what the evidence supports; distinguish an observed pattern from a proven cause.
2. Model one short example from a correlation between light and plant growth. Think aloud about the language choice and the subject evidence; invite learners to test the example with a partner.
3. Learners apply the move to a new piece of Science content. Use the prompt “What can you say about the pattern, and what can you not prove?” to check whether their language matches their evidence.
4. Collect one independent response. Check that cause language matches the design and that an unmeasured factor is acknowledged. Record one next step and adjust the scaffold to what this response shows.

Try it tomorrow

Use because or may be related to according to what the evidence supports; distinguish an observed pattern from a proven cause.

Independent check

Check that cause language matches the design and that an unmeasured factor is acknowledged.

Scaffold built into this activity: Some scaffold

Offer a continuum of certainty words and let learners rehearse the claim aloud first.

Teacher language

Ask learners to point to the evidence, wording or feature behind their answer. Give thinking time before inviting a revision.

Adjust the support

More support

Offer a continuum of certainty words and let learners rehearse the claim aloud first.

Greater independence

Compare an experiment that controls the other variables and ask whether stronger wording is justified.

Use the response to choose the next step; the scaffold label describes this activity design, not the learner.