Middle & High School Science - 3 Free CER Activities With Real-World Data - October 2025

Middle & High School Science - 3 Free CER Activities With Real-World Data - October 2025

Like you, we understand how important introducing graphs and constructed responses is in our classes. These three activities are perfect for preparing students for the future exams and state testing that will come their way. Plus, it is a great skill to have for the rest of their lives too. 

To help make your prep a bit easier, we've provided you with three separate graphs and CER activities. CER stands for Claim-Evidence-Reasoning and is a tried and true method for getting students to support their answers. 

If you like these, you'll love our graphical analysis practice set. This comes jam-packed with 30 graphing activities to get students practicing constructed and written responses. Check it out here.

 

Instructions:

For the following graphs, I would place them on the screen in the room or print them out. Students would walk in, see it on the screen, and begin working on analyzing it. A great way to slowly introduce this is by providing them time to jot down their thoughts without the CER prompt first. Then, allow them to discuss it with a neighbor or as a class. Then, provide them with the prompt and have them respond individually. To take it a step further you can then discuss it as a class too or take it up for a grade.

 

Download all of these activities for free here.

Ocean pH and Carbon Dioxide Levels

NGSS Standards:
  • MS-ESS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment
  • HS-ESS2-6: Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere
  • HS-ESS3-6: Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity
TEKS Standards:
  • Grade 8 (8.11A): Describe producer/consumer, predator/prey, and parasite/host relationships as they occur in food webs within marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems
  • Environmental Systems (ENV.7C): Analyze the cumulative impact of human population growth on an ecosystem
  • Chemistry (CHEM.8A): Define and use the concept of pH

 

Did you know?

We have a YouTube channel with free standards-aligned worksheets! 

Activity 2: Enzyme Activity and Temperature

 

NGSS Standards:
  • MS-LS1-7: Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism
  • HS-LS1-1: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells
  • HS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms
TEKS Standards:
  • Grade 7 (7.12F): Recognize that according to cell theory all organisms are composed of cells and cells carry on similar functions such as extracting energy from food to sustain life
  • Biology (BIO.4B): Investigate and explain cellular processes, including homeostasis, energy conversions, transport of molecules, and synthesis of new molecules
  • Biology (BIO.9C): Identify and investigate the role of enzymes

 

Download all of these activities for free here.

 

Activity 3: Human Population Growth Over Time

 

NGSS Standards:
  • MS-LS2-1: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem
  • HS-LS2-1: Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales
  • HS-LS2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems at different scales
TEKS Standards:
  • Grade 8 (8.11A): Describe producer/consumer, predator/prey, and parasite/host relationships as they occur in food webs within marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems
  • Biology (BIO.12E): Describe the flow of matter and energy through trophic levels using various models, including food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids
  • Environmental Systems (ENV.4C): Analyze the relationship between carrying capacity and changes in populations and ecosystems

 

Want to save time lesson planning and more time on what matters?

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