Persuasive argument: Best car

Got a new motor? Talk about your investigation like a scientist

Lesson idea. This resource is a teacher's commentary on a discussion around the results of an investigation which involves comparing toy cars rolling down a ramp. This might be used as a stand-alone lesson or be expanded to a longer topic. With differentiation, it can be used with any primary age. At the foundation stage, teachers might focus on developing the language of comparison while discussing shared results. At the top of Key Stage 2, teachers might expect their pupils to develop a fully written argument and refer to their initial hypotheses, data and also the possibility of unreliable data due to their control of variables.

Teaching approach. This activity involving inquiry^(ta)aims to develop children’s ability to support their conclusions with evidence. The teacher will model^(ta) and encourage the use of the language^(ta) that children require to discuss or present their data. The teacher can explain their rationale using the lesson below.

Resource details
Title	Persuasive argument and evidence-based conclusions about the best car
Topic	[[Topics/Investigation|Investigation]]
Teaching approach	[[Teaching Approaches/Language|Language]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Inquiry|Inquiry]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Modelling|Modelling]]
Learning Objectives	Students should be able to: carry out a whole investigation, use evidence to support conclusions.
Subject	[[Resources/Science|Science]]
Age of students / grade	[[Resources/Primary|Primary]]
Useful information	For further booklets, please check The National Centre for Initial Teacher Training in Primary School Science at http://www.le.ac.uk/se/centres/sci/SCIcentre.html
Files and resources to view and download	Persuasive argument: Best car/Document
Acknowledgement	This resource was adapted from resources and original ideas contributed by Paul Warwick, at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.