CER paragraph
Do now
Write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph and distinguish correlation from causation in your data.
- Hand in
- CER paragraph with a specific claim supported by cited graph data, reasoning linking evidence to claim, a correlation/causation classification with justification, and one alternative explanation.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Your graph shows two things rising together in your environmental data. What is the exact claim your numbers support, and can you honestly say one caused the other?
Write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph and distinguish correlation from causation in your data.
- • Your paragraph includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning.
- • You correctly labeled the relationship as correlation or causation.
- In one sentence, what makes a claim (a specific statement your data supports) different from an observation (something you just noticed)?
- Two variables in your graph rise together. Give one reason that does NOT mean one caused the other.
- 1State a claim your graph supports.
- 2Cite specific evidence from the or graph.
- 3Explain the reasoning linking evidence to claim.
- 4Decide whether your data shows correlation or causation and justify it.
- 5Note one alternative explanation for the pattern.
What did this day actually feel like?
CER paragraph
One paragraph, claim to evidence to reasoning, with the limitation that our sampling was opportunistic rather than random.
Turned in: CER → Claim Evidence Reasoning folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
One paragraph, claim to evidence to reasoning, with the limitation that our sampling was opportunistic rather than random.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: A CER paragraph converts a graph into an argument because it forces you to name the exact number and the exact reasoning, so a reader can check your logic instead of trusting your impression.
- 0-5 minWarm-up: name one claim your graph clearly supports
- 5-20 minDraft your claim sentence; identify specific evidence values from the graph
- 20-40 minWrite the reasoning connecting evidence to claim
- 40-55 minClassify the relationship as correlation or causation with written justification
- 55-70 minAdd one alternative explanation for the observed pattern
- 70-80 min: does the CER hold together without looking at the graph?
- • Your graph is a picture, but a CER paragraph is the argument that makes it mean something.
- • Today we use your graph to write a claim, back it with specific data, and reason through it.
- • Then we'll ask the harder question: does your graph show that one thing caused another, or just that they moved together?
- • One honest alternative explanation makes your argument stronger, not weaker.
- • A claim is a specific statement the data supports, not a vague observation.
- • Evidence in a CER must come from actual data values, not general impressions.
- • Correlation and causation are logically distinct; environmental data almost always shows correlation.
Data tables, graphical claims, variables, outliers, correlation vs causation. · CER paragraph
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Problem 4 in your myPLTW course shell and navigate to the current activity, then write a CER paragraph using your graph data and classify the relationship as correlation or causation.
Add your CER paragraph to the Problem 4 portfolio alongside your graph.
The graph draft is done; CER writing is the analysis milestone, so check your activity guide and submit the paragraph today.
Completed CER paragraph submitted as evidence before leaving class.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Data tables, graphical claims, variables, outliers, correlation vs causation. · CER paragraph
Open Problem 4 in your myPLTW course shell and navigate to the current activity, then write a CER paragraph using your graph data and classify the relationship as correlation or causation.
The graph draft is done; CER writing is the analysis milestone, so check your activity guide and submit the paragraph today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph and distinguish correlation from causation in your data.
- State a claim your graph supports.
- Cite specific evidence from the or graph.
- Explain the reasoning linking evidence to claim.
- Decide whether your data shows correlation or causation and justify it.
- Note one alternative explanation for the pattern.
CER: CER paragraph with a specific claim supported by cited graph data, reasoning linking evidence to claim, a correlation/causation classification with justification, and one alternative explanation.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| State a claim your graph supports. | _______ |
| Cite specific evidence from the or graph. | _______ |
| Explain the reasoning linking evidence to claim. | _______ |
| Decide whether your data shows correlation or causation and justify it. | _______ |
| Note one alternative explanation for the pattern. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- Your paragraph includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning.
- You correctly labeled the relationship as correlation or causation.
- 1Do thisWrite a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph and distinguish correlation from causation in your data.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisCER: CER paragraph with a specific claim supported by cited graph data, reasoning linking evidence to claim, a correlation/causation classification with justification, and one alternative explanation.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Biotechnology for Health (Biomedical Innovations) › Data tables, graphical claims, variables, outliers, correlation vs causation. › CEROpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
The axis, unit, and outlier decisions you bake into a graph control what a reader concludes, so a rushed graph can broadcast a claim your data never actually supported.
A CER paragraph converts a graph into an argument because it forces you to name the exact number and the exact reasoning, so a reader can check your logic instead of trusting your impression.
A detective board holds observations, possible explanations, and one next question.
- Which notes are direct observations?
- Which notes are explanations?
- What new evidence would separate the explanations?
Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
Biomedical investigations use controlled procedures and validated measurements, not intuition alone.
- • Board notes map to E1-E3.
- • Possible explanations map to the decision options.
- • The next question maps to the evidence-based action.
Driving question: Your graph shows two things rising together in your environmental data. What is the exact claim your numbers support, and can you honestly say one caused the other?
What you already know: The axis, unit, and outlier decisions you bake into a graph control what a reader concludes, so a rushed graph can broadcast a claim your data never actually supported.
New idea: A CER paragraph converts a graph into an argument because it forces you to name the exact number and the exact reasoning, so a reader can check your logic instead of trusting your impression.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for CER paragraph. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in CER paragraph.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: Your graph shows two things rising together in your environmental data. What is the exact claim your numbers support, and can you honestly say one caused the other?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • graph: A visual display of data, such as a bar, line, or scatter plot, that makes patterns and relationships easier to see than a table of numbers.
- • trend: The general direction that data moves over time, such as rising, falling, or staying steady, seen across many points rather than a single value.
- • outlier: A data point that lies far away from the rest of the values in a set, which may signal an error or a genuinely unusual result.
- • error: The difference between a measured value and the true value, caused by limits of instruments, method, or the person measuring.
- • correlation: Two things tending to occur together, which does not by itself prove that one causes the other.
- • causation: When one factor actually brings about another, shown by controlled evidence rather than by the two simply appearing together.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
A claim is a specific statement the data supports, not a vague observation.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
A CER paragraph converts a graph into an argument because it forces you to name the exact number and the exact reasoning, so a reader can check your logic instead of trusting your impression.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
Your paragraph includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-BFH-2027-04-15 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical design team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from CER paragraph supports before submitting the claim-evidence-reasoning response named on the lesson page.
- • Choose the strongest supported explanation.
- • Choose the next evidence to collect.
- • Hold the decision because the evidence is insufficient.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the claim-evidence-reasoning response.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about CER paragraph. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from CER paragraph supports before submitting the claim-evidence-reasoning response named on the lesson page.
Context: Evidence and reasoning are separate jobs: evidence is the specific number you point to, reasoning is why that number supports your claim, and confusing correlation for causation is the fastest way to lose an argument you could have won.
- • T1: State a claim your graph supports.
- • T2: Cite specific evidence from the or graph.
- • T3: Explain the reasoning linking evidence to claim.
- • T4: Decide whether your data shows correlation or causation and justify it.
- • T5: Note one alternative explanation for the pattern.
- • E1: A claim is a specific statement the data supports, not a vague observation.
- • E2: A CER paragraph converts a graph into an argument because it forces you to name the exact number and the exact reasoning, so a reader can check your logic instead of trusting your impression.
- • E3: Your paragraph includes a claim, evidence, and reasoning.
Measurements: Use only the measurements, units, graph, or counts supplied in today's task. No additional patient measurement is implied.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for CER paragraph. Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Mean = sum of values / number of values. Median = middle ordered value. Range = maximum - minimum.
For 2, 4, 4, and 10: mean = 20 / 4 = 5, median = 4, and range = 10 - 2 = 8.
Mean, median, and range keep the measurement unit. Order the values before finding the median.
Calculate the requested summary for today's supplied values, then write what it reveals and what it hides.
- • The solution must address the stated need in CER paragraph.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Students often think If two variables in my data move together, especially if they move together tightly, then one is causing the other.. The trap: Correlation means they move together; causation means one drives the other. They are logically different. A hidden third factor (a lurking variable) can drive both, so 'they correlate' is evidence for a relationship, not proof of a cause.
Claim: In this stream dataset, dissolved oxygen is lowest on the warmest days.\nEvidence: My graph shows dissolved oxygen held between 8.5 and 9.2 milligrams per liter on days when the water was 12 to 16 degrees Celsius, then dropped to 5.1 milligrams per liter on the day the water reached 26 degrees Celsius.\nReasoning: The warmest-day oxygen reading is about 40 percent lower than the cool-day readings, so the data supports the claim that oxygen falls as this stream warms up.\nCorrelation or causation: This is correlation. The graph shows warm water and low oxygen appearing together, but the numbers alone do not prove the warmth caused the drop.\nAlternative explanation: The warmest day was also the day after a heavy rain that washed fertilizer into the stream, and that runoff can feed bacteria that use up oxygen. Until I rule out the runoff, I can only claim that temperature and low oxygen are correlated, not that heat caused it.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Models the Problem 4 CER step on a different dataset: a paragraph with a claim, cited graph data, reasoning, a correlation-vs-causation classification with justification, and one alternative explanation, so students can copy the structure without copying the answer.
- Write one defensible claim.
- Choose specific evidence that supports the claim.
- Explain the scientific rule that connects the evidence to the claim.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit the CER paragraph on the class site today.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in CER paragraph. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Environmental data graphing and analysis by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-4_Environmental-Health/4.1_Environmental-Health; keywords:environmental. Score 134. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Environmental data graphing and analysis by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-4_Environmental-Health/4.1_Environmental-Health; keywords:environmental. Score 130. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Environmental data graphing and analysis by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-4_Environmental-Health/4.1_Environmental-Health; keywords:environmental. Score 130. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about CER paragraph. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Your graph shows traffic volume and asthma-related nurse visits both rising across the week. A classmate writes: 'This proves cars cause asthma.' Rewrite it as a defensible CER claim.
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your CER.
Open the drop folderTurn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Khan Academy StatisticsYou've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home, including virtual labs, for extra credit. Each item shows its correct submission route.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.