© OCR 2012
Battling ideas
Student Sheets
A skills development activity for GCSE
Contents
Sheet number
Title
SS1
Which number (consumable)
SS2
Battling ideas (consumable)
SS3
Battling ideas exam practice
(reusable)
SS4
Marking guide (reusable)
© OCR 2012
Notes
Cut into A5 sheets
For teacher use but can be used by students for
self/peer assessment
OCR SKILLUP : BATTLING IDEAS
SS 1
Which number?
Round 1
Prediction
OCR SKILLUP : BATTLING IDEAS
Which number?
Observation
Round 1
1
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
3rd
3rd
4th
4th
5th
5th
Round 2
Prediction
Observation
Round 2
1
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
3rd
3rd
4th
4th
5th
5th
6th
6th
rule linking numbers:
© OCR 2012
SS 1
Prediction
Observation
1
Prediction
Observation
1
rule linking numbers:
SS2
OCR SKILLUP : BATTLING IDEAS
Battling ideas
Contest 1
The idea that I support is…
His explanation is that…
Round
Does the
observation
match their
prediction?
Contest 2
The idea that I support is…
His explanation is that…
How confident are
you that the
explanation
is correct?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Round
Does the
observation
match their
prediction?
How confident are
you that the
explanation
is correct?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
***** = very confident
*= not at all confident
***** = very confident
*= not at all confident
● What makes one explanation more convincing than another?
● Did you change your mind when there was more evidence for a different explanation? Give an
example of when this happened.
© OCR 2012
SS3
OCR SKILLUP : BATTLING IDEAS
Wegener’s theory
Alfred Wegener noticed that the Earth’s continents fitted together like a jigsaw
puzzle. His explanation for this was that they once had been joined but then
slowly moved apart. He called his theory ‘continental drift’.
During his lifetime he collected evidence for this theory but not enough to
convince other scientists.
1930: Death of
Alfred Wegener
Time
Observations
Theories
Wegener’s theory of continental drift
Wegener notices
Africa and South
America fit like
jigsaw pieces and
predicts that they
were once joined.
Wegener finds the
same fossils in Africa
and South America
and predicts that
fossils will match on
other continents.
Number of scientists who
support the Theory.
Almost none
Revised theory of plate tectonics.
Wegener
finds fossil
matches
between
several
other
continents.
Few
Mid ocean ridges were
discovered. Scientists
suggested that the ocean
floor spreads outwards
from these ridges. This
pushes the continents
apart as Wegener
predicted.
Some
● Explain why Wegener’s theory of continental drift was not accepted by
scientists but the theory of plate tectonics now is.
● Explain why it may need to be revised in the future.
© OCR 2012
Magnetic stripes in the
sea floor were mapped.
They supported the
prediction that rocks
form at the ridges and
move away as the sea
floor spreads.
Most
SS4
SS9
OCR
IDEAS
OCRSKILLUP
SKILLUP::BATTLING
WHAT’S THE
CONCLUSION?
Wegener’s theory : Marking Guide
Low
demand
Thinking scientifically
General criteria
Wegener’s theory
Typical student response
Recognise that science
explanations are provisional
because they only explain the
current evidence
● Continental drift was not accepted because Wegener did not have enough
evidence to convince other scientists but plate tectonics is accepted because
there is lots of evidence.
(1-2 marks)
As above plus:
Standard
demand
Recognise that science
explanations are provisional but
more convincing if predictions
can be made and subsequently
confirmed
● The theory of plate tectonics was accepted as more observations made by
many different scientists matched the predictions made by this theory e.g.
the observation that the sea floor is spreading backs up Wegener’s
predictions that the continents are moving apart.
● Support for the theory grew as predictions based on it turned out to be
correct.
(3-4 marks)
As above plus:
High
demand
© OCR 2012
Recognise that confidence
increases in provisional scientific
explanations if observations
match predictions but this does
not prove the explanation is
correct
● Continental drift was not accepted because Wegener could not explain
why the continents were moving.
● Plate tectonics is supported because scientists have evidence that the Earth
is divided into plates which are moving.
● In the future there may observations that cannot be explained by the
theory and then the it may need to be modified in order to explain
these.
(5-6 marks)
Picture credits
Picture
Student sheet
Credit
All images purchased from Dreamstime or iStock
Skillup activities from OCR, created by the upd8 team
– anything you'd want to add about your courses, or the Developing Student Skills Poster.
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