Give your students a clear, repeatable framework for thinking like scientists and communicating their ideas with confidence.
Scientific explanations require more than simply having the right answer. Students must make a claim, support that claim with relevant evidence, and explain the scientific reasoning that connects the two. The CER Science Framework Whiteboard Display provides a high-visibility, interactive reference system that brings this essential scientific thinking process directly to your dry-erase board.
By breaking scientific responses into three clear, manageable steps, students gain a reliable framework for analyzing investigations, interpreting data, discussing observations, and constructing evidence-based explanations. Use the display during whole-class instruction, lab investigations, science discussions, written responses, or daily review to help students build stronger scientific arguments independently.
This modular static cling system is designed to flexibly adapt to your classroom routines. Use the core C-E-R letters as a simple visual anchor, add the definition clings for explicit student guidance, or include sentence starter clings to help students confidently begin constructing their responses.
This comprehensive science thinking system guides students through the three essential parts of a scientific explanation:
Answer the question in a clear, one-sentence statement. A claim is the student's answer or conclusion based on the question, investigation, or scientific phenomenon being studied.
What did you find?
Use information from experiments, data, observations, and text to support your claim. Evidence provides the specific facts, measurements, observations, or information that show why the claim is supported.
Why does it matter?
The rule or scientific principle that explains why and how the evidence supports the claim. Reasoning connects the evidence to the claim by explaining the scientific ideas, rules, or principles that make the evidence meaningful.
1. CER Test Tube Set (5 Clings): The test tube clings display the strategy letter along with its core component word: Claim, Evidence, or Reasoning. This option is perfect for teachers who want a clean, simple visual anchor for their science classroom or who already have their own CER prompts and instructional language.
2. CER Test Tube and Definitions Clings Set: Includes the CER test tube plus 3 matching definition clings to place directly alongside them. The definition clings provide explicit student-friendly prompts for each step:
Claim: What do you think? Answer the question in a clear, one-sentence statement.
Evidence: What did you find? Use information from experiments, data, observations and text to support your claim.
Reasoning: Why does it matter? The rule or scientific principle that explains why and how the evidence supports the claim.
This option is ideal for classrooms where students benefit from having the CER process and expectations clearly visible throughout the year.
3. CER Test Tube, Definitions and Sentence Starters Set: Help students move from knowing what CER means to actually beginning their scientific response. The optional sentence starter clings provide multiple ways for students to begin each section:
Claim Sentence Starters:
Evidence Sentence Starters:
Reasoning Sentence Starters:
Use these clings during written responses, science notebooks, lab reports, constructed-response questions, and classroom discussions to help students confidently put their scientific thinking into words.
"Binder Ready" Details: If you pick "yes" for "Binder Ready" clings, the clings will arrive on "Binder Ready" sheets. Each sheet is 8.5x14" and fits into a legal-size three ring binder. "Binder Ready" sheets come hole punched and ready for storage. Read more about "Binder Ready" sheets here.