Introduction to Claim Testers
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.1ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: INTRODUCTION1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Claim Testing: Introduction”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeLearning to test claimswill helpyou evaluate evidence and arguments about climate change.Key information Claim testers help us assess the reliability of claims:1.Intuition—the gut feeling we sometimes get when a claim just seems (or doesn’t seem) “right”2.Authority—an individual or organization’s recognized knowledge and expertise on a subject3.Logic—evaluating a claim by deciding if it make sense and follows clear, rationale reasoning4.Evidence—concrete information such as data, examples, or expert testimony that supports an argumentIntuition and logic can help us make quick assessments by drawing on past experiences, gut feelings, and our sense of whether something fits with what we already know. Authority and evidence are tools we use to look behind the information and interrogate the truth and reliability of a claim. Process1.Read the following paragraph and underline the claim being made. The Earth’s temperature always goes up and down in a natural pattern. This change has been driven by geophysical factors like volcanic activity, solar radiation, and changes in the Earth’s orbit. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) reportsthat over the last 800,000 years, there have been eight cycles of ice ages and warmer periods. This probably fits with what you know about our planet’s history—you don’t see any woolly mammoths around today! For example, data shows that in the year 539 or540 CE, the Ilopango volcano in El Salvador erupted violently. Volcanic sulfur from the eruption triggered a roughly 2-degree Celsius temperature drop that lasted 20 years. A claimis a statement or main point that someone believes to be true. Example: School should start later in the morning so students can get more sleep and be more alert. A counterclaimis an argument that goes against or disagrees with the main point or claim someone else has made.Example: School starting later would make it more challenging for students with after-school jobs or extra-curricular activities.
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.1ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: INTRODUCTION22.Identify which claim testers are present in the following statements. Remember, the claim testers sometimes overlap and work together.StatementCircle the claim tester(s) present in the statementExplain your selectionThis change has been driven by geophysical factors like volcanic activity, solar radiation, and changes in the Earth’s orbit.EvidenceAuthorityLogicIntuitionNASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) reports that over the last 800,000 years, there have been eight cycles of ice ages and warmer periods.EvidenceAuthorityLogicIntuitionThis probably fits with what you know about our planet’s history—you don’t see any woolly mammoths around today!EvidenceAuthorityLogicIntuition
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.1ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: INTRODUCTION33.Do you agree with the claim being made in the paragraph on pg. 1? Why or why not? Use claim testers in your response.4.Come up with a counterclaim that wouldrefute the claim that the Earth’s temperature always goes up and down in a natural pattern. You can start your counterclaim with phrases like, “While some may argue that...” or “While it’s true that_____, it could also be said that...”