Science
Grade-Level Indicators
Scientific Inquiry
Students develop scientific habits of mind as they use the processes of scientific inquiry to ask valid questions and to gather and analyze information. They understand how to develop hypotheses and make predictions. They are able to reflect on scientific practices as they develop plans of action to create and evaluate a variety of conclusions. Students are also able to demonstrate the ability to communicate their findings to others.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Ask “what if” questions.
2. Explore and pursue student-generated “what if” questions.
3. Use appropriate safety procedures when completing scientific investigations.
4. Use the five senses to make observations about the natural world.
5. Draw pictures that correctly portray features of the item being described.
6. Recognize that numbers can be used to count a collection of things.
7. Use appropriate tools and simple equipment/instruments to safely gather scientific data (e.g., magnifiers and other appropriate tools).
8. Measure the lengths of objects using non-standard methods of measurement (e.g., teddy bear counters, pennies).
9. Make pictographs and use them to describe observations and draw conclusions.
10. Make new observations when people give different descriptions for the same thing.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Ask “what happens when” questions.
2. Explore and pursue student-generated “what happens when” questions.
3. Use appropriate safety procedures when completing scientific investigations.
4. Work in a small group to complete an investigation and then share findings with others.
5. Create individual conclusions about group findings.
6. Use appropriate tools and simple equipment/instruments to safely gather scientific data (e.g., magnifiers, timers, simple balances and other appropriate tools).
7. Make estimates to compare familiar lengths, weights and time intervals.
8. Use oral, written and pictorial representation to communicate work.
9. Describe things as accurately as possible and compare with the observations of others.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Ask “how can I/we” questions.
2. Ask “how do you know” questions (not “why” questions) in appropriate situations and attempt to give reasonable answers when others ask questions.
3. Explore and pursue student-generated “how” questions.
4. Use appropriate safety procedures when completing scientific investigations.
5. Use evidence to develop explanations of scientific investigations. (What do you think? How do you know?)
6. Recognize that explanations are generated in response to observations, events and phenomena.
7. Use appropriate tools and simple equipment/instruments to safely gather scientific data (e.g., magnifiers, non-breakable thermometers, timers, rulers, balances, calculators and other appropriate tools).
8. Measure properties of objects using tools such as rulers, balances and thermometers.
9. Use whole numbers to order, count, identify, measure and describe things and experiences.
10. Share explanations with others to provide opportunities to ask questions, examine evidence and suggest alternative explanations.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Select the appropriate tools and use relevant
safety procedures to measure and record length and weight in metric and English
units.
2. Discuss observations and measurements made by other people.
3. Read and interpret simple tables and graphs produced by self/others.
4. Identify and apply science safety procedures.
5. Record and organize observations (e.g., journals, charts, tables).
6. Communicate scientific findings to others through a variety of methods (e.g., pictures, written, oral and recorded observations).
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Select the appropriate tools and use relevant
safety procedures to measure and record length, weight, volume, temperature and
area in metric and English units.
2. Analyze a series of events and/or simple daily or seasonal cycles, describe the patterns and infer the next likely occurrence.
3. Develop, design and conduct safe, simple investigations or experiments to answer questions.
4. Explain the importance of keeping conditions the same in an experiment.
5. Describe how comparisons may not be fair when some conditions are not kept the same between experiments.
6. Formulate instructions and communicate data in a manner that allows others to understand and repeat an investigation or experiment.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Select and safely use the appropriate tools
to collect data when conducting investigations and communicating findings to
others(e.g., thermometers, timers, balances, spring scales, magnifiers,
microscopes and other appropriate tools).
2. Evaluate observations and measurements made by other people and identify reasons for any discrepancies.
3. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations.
4. Identify one or two variables in a simple experiment.
5. Identify potential hazards and/or precautions involved in an investigation.
6. Explain why results of an experiment are sometimes different (e.g., because of unexpected differences in what is being investigated, unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation was carried out, and because of errors in observations).
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Explain that there are not fixed procedures for
guiding scientific investigations; however, the nature of an investigation
determines the procedures needed.
2. Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
3. Distinguish between observation and inference.
4. Explain that a single example can never prove that something is always correct, but sometimes a single example can disprove something.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Explain that variables and controls can
affect the results of an investigation and that ideally one variable should be
tested at a time; however it is not always possible to control all variables.
2. Identify simple independent and dependent variables.
3. Formulate and identify questions to guide scientific investigations that connect to science concepts and can be answered through scientific investigations.
4. Choose the appropriate tools and instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
5. Analyze alternative scientific explanations and predictions and recognize that there may be more than one good way to interpret a given set of data.
6. Identify faulty reasoning and statements that go beyond the evidence or misinterpret the evidence.
7. Use graphs, tables and charts to study physical phenomena and infer mathematical relationships between variables (e.g., speed, density).
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Choose the appropriate tools or instruments
and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
2. Describe the concepts of sample size and control and explain how these affect scientific investigations.
3. Read, construct and interpret data in various forms produced by self and others in both written and oral form (e.g., tables, charts, maps, graphs, diagrams, symbols).
4. Apply appropriate math skills to interpret quantitative data (e.g., mean, median, mode).
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Distinguish between observations and
inferences given a scientific situation.
2. Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and conducting scientific investigations (e.g., OSHA, Material Safety Data Sheets [MSDS], eyewash, goggles, ventilation).
3. Construct, interpret and apply physical and conceptual models that represent or explain systems, objects, events or concepts.
4. Decide
what degree of precision based on the data is adequate, and
round off the results of calculator operations to the proper number of
significant figures to reasonably reflect those of the inputs.
5. Develop oral and written presentations using clear language, accurate data, appropriate graphs, tables, maps and available technology.
6. Draw logical conclusions based on scientific knowledge and evidence from investigations.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Research and apply appropriate safety
precautions when designing and conducting scientific investigations (e.g. OSHA,
MSDS, eyewash, goggles, ventilation).
2. Present scientific findings using clear language, accurate data, appropriate graphs, tables, maps and available technology.
3. Use mathematical models to predict and analyze natural phenomena.
4. Draw conclusions from inquiries based on scientific knowledge and principles, the use of logic and evidence (data) from investigations.
5. Explain how new scientific data can cause any existing scientific explanation to be supported, revised or rejected.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Formulate testable hypotheses. Develop and explain the appropriate
procedures, controls and variables (dependent and independent) in scientific
experimentation.
2. Evaluate assumptions that have been used in reaching scientific conclusions.
3. Design and carry out scientific inquiry (investigation), communicate and critique results through peer review.
4. Explain why the methods of an investigation are based on the questions being asked.
5. Summarize data and construct a reasonable argument based on those data and other known information.
Doing Scientific
Inquiry 1. Formulate testable hypotheses. Develop and explain the appropriate
procedures, controls and variables (dependent and independent) in scientific
experimentation.
2. Derive simple mathematical relationships that have predictive power from experimental data (e.g., derive an equation from a graph and vice versa, determine whether a linear or exponential relationship exists among the data in a table).
3. Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and/or conducting scientific investigations (e.g., OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles, ventilation).
4. Create and clarify the method, procedures, controls and variables in complex scientific investigations.
5. Use appropriate summary statistics to analyze and describe data.