Thursday 4/19/18 Notebook Entry: The maps we looked at earlier in the week I called EVIDENCE cards. What features of those maps makes them evidence?

Empirical Evidence Also known as sense experience. Is a term for the knowledge acquired by means of the senses, particularly by observation and experimentation. The term comes from the Greek word for experience

Why does the Atacama Desert get so little precipitation? Scientific Question Why does the Atacama Desert get so little precipitation?

Possible Claims Claim #1: Prevailing winds on the Pacific coast cause extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert. Claim #2: The location of mountain ranges causes extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert. Claim #3: Surface temperatures of the ocean cause extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert. These claims related to 3 factors that scientists know can influence weather and could affect patterns of low precipitation.

Connecting Evidence to Claims How might the evidence on the cards connect to each other? How might it connect to the claims? Work with your partner to identify evidence to support each claim. Then describe the evidence on the lines next to the claim. Be specific! Explain your reasoning to your partner using language of argumentation – see poster above the whiteboard. What if my partner and I don’t agree?

Evidence Card C: Rain Shadow Effect

Evaluate Evidence With your new partner you will share and compare evidence. Discuss whether or not you think the evidence they identified supports the claim. Is it clearly described? Is it relevant? Based on the discussion you may need to… edit to make more specific Eliminate if not relevant Add evidence if your partner shares something you did not identify and you think it worth adding.

When considering all the evidence, which claim do you think is best supported by the evidence? Why? Claim #1: Prevailing winds on the Pacific coast cause extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert. Claim #2: The location of mountain ranges causes extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert. Claim #3: Surface temperatures of the ocean cause extremely low precipitation in the Atacama Desert.