Processes
Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic
5.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in
which:
a) items such as rocks, minerals, and organisms are identified using various classification keys;
b) estimates are made and accurate measurements of length, mass, volume, and temperature are made in metric units using proper tools;
c) estimates are made and accurate measurements of elapsed time are made using proper tools;
d) hypotheses are formed from testable questions;
e) independent and dependent variables are identified;
f) constants in an experimental situation are identified;
g) data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and communicated using proper graphical representations and metric measurements;
h) predictions are made using patterns from data collected, and simple graphical data are generated;
i) inferences are made and conclusions are drawn;
j) models are constructed to clarify explanations, demonstrate relationships, and solve needs; and
k) current applications are used to reinforce science concepts.
which:
a) items such as rocks, minerals, and organisms are identified using various classification keys;
b) estimates are made and accurate measurements of length, mass, volume, and temperature are made in metric units using proper tools;
c) estimates are made and accurate measurements of elapsed time are made using proper tools;
d) hypotheses are formed from testable questions;
e) independent and dependent variables are identified;
f) constants in an experimental situation are identified;
g) data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and communicated using proper graphical representations and metric measurements;
h) predictions are made using patterns from data collected, and simple graphical data are generated;
i) inferences are made and conclusions are drawn;
j) models are constructed to clarify explanations, demonstrate relationships, and solve needs; and
k) current applications are used to reinforce science concepts.
Understanding the Standard
• The nature of science refers to the foundational concepts that govern the way scientists formulate explanations about the natural world. The nature of
science includes the following concepts:
a) the natural world is understandable;
b) science is based on evidence, both observational and experimental;
c) science is a blend of logic and innovation;
d) scientific ideas are durable yet subject to change as new data are collected;
e) science is a complex social endeavor; and
f) scientists try to remain objective and engage in peer review to help avoid bias.
In grade five, an emphasis should be placed on concepts a, b, c, d, and e.
• Science assumes that the natural world is understandable. Scientific inquiry can provide explanations about nature. This expands students’ thinking from just a knowledge of facts to understanding how facts are relevant to everyday life.
• Science demands evidence. Scientists develop their ideas based on evidence and they change their ideas when new evidence becomes available or the old evidence is viewed in a different way.
• Science uses both logic and innovation. Innovation has always been an important part of science. Scientists draw upon their creativity to visualize how nature works, using analogies, metaphors, and mathematics.
• Scientific ideas are durable yet subject to change as new data are collected. The main body of scientific knowledge is very stable and grows by being corrected slowly and having its boundaries extended gradually. Scientists themselves accept the notion that scientific knowledge is always open to
improvement and can never be declared absolutely certain. New questions arise, new theories are proposed, new instruments are invented, and new techniques are developed.
• Science is a complex social endeavor. It is a complex social process for producing knowledge about the natural world. Scientific knowledge represents the current consensus among scientists as to what is the best explanation for phenomena in the natural world. This consensus does not arise automatically, since scientists with different backgrounds from all over the world may interpret the same data differently. To build a consensus, scientists communicate their findings to other scientists and attempt to replicate one another’s findings. In order to model the work of professional scientists, it is essential for fifth-grade students to engage in frequent discussions with peers about their understanding of their investigations.
• Systematic investigations require standard measures and consistent and reliable tools. Metric measures are a standard way to make measurements and are recognized around the world.
• A classification key is an important tool used to help identify objects and organisms. It consists of a branching set of choices organized in levels, with most levels of the key having two choices. Each level provides more specific descriptors, eventually leading to identification.
• A hypothesis is an educated guess/prediction about what will happen based on what you already know and what you have already learned from your research. It must be worded so that it is “testable.” The hypothesis can be written as an “If…, then….” statement, such as “If all light is blocked from a plant for two weeks, then the plant will die.”
• An independent variable is the factor in an experiment that is altered by the experimenter. The independent variable is purposely changed or
manipulated.
• A dependent variable is the factor in an experiment that changes as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.
• The constants in an experiment are those things that are purposefully kept the same throughout the experiment.
• When conducting experiments, data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and communicated using proper graphical representations and metric
measurements.
• Systematic investigations require organized reporting of data. The way the data are displayed can make it easier to see important patterns, trends, and relationships. Bar graphs and line graphs are useful tools for reporting discrete data and continuous data, respectively.
• A scientific prediction is a forecast about what may happen in some future situation. It is based on the application of factual information and principles
and recognition of trends and patterns.
• Estimation is a useful tool for making approximate measures and giving general descriptions. In order to make reliable estimates, one must have experience using the particular unit.
• An inference is a tentative explanation based on background knowledge and available data.
• A conclusion is a summary statement based on the results of an investigation. Scientific conclusions are based on verifiable observations (science is empirical).
• Scientific modeling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. It is an approximation or simulation of a real system that omits all but the most essential variables of the system. In order to create a model, a scientist must first make some assumptions about the essential structure and relationships of objects and/or events in the real world. These assumptions are about what is necessary or important to explain the phenomena.
• It is important for students to apply the science content that they have learned to current issues and applications.
science includes the following concepts:
a) the natural world is understandable;
b) science is based on evidence, both observational and experimental;
c) science is a blend of logic and innovation;
d) scientific ideas are durable yet subject to change as new data are collected;
e) science is a complex social endeavor; and
f) scientists try to remain objective and engage in peer review to help avoid bias.
In grade five, an emphasis should be placed on concepts a, b, c, d, and e.
• Science assumes that the natural world is understandable. Scientific inquiry can provide explanations about nature. This expands students’ thinking from just a knowledge of facts to understanding how facts are relevant to everyday life.
• Science demands evidence. Scientists develop their ideas based on evidence and they change their ideas when new evidence becomes available or the old evidence is viewed in a different way.
• Science uses both logic and innovation. Innovation has always been an important part of science. Scientists draw upon their creativity to visualize how nature works, using analogies, metaphors, and mathematics.
• Scientific ideas are durable yet subject to change as new data are collected. The main body of scientific knowledge is very stable and grows by being corrected slowly and having its boundaries extended gradually. Scientists themselves accept the notion that scientific knowledge is always open to
improvement and can never be declared absolutely certain. New questions arise, new theories are proposed, new instruments are invented, and new techniques are developed.
• Science is a complex social endeavor. It is a complex social process for producing knowledge about the natural world. Scientific knowledge represents the current consensus among scientists as to what is the best explanation for phenomena in the natural world. This consensus does not arise automatically, since scientists with different backgrounds from all over the world may interpret the same data differently. To build a consensus, scientists communicate their findings to other scientists and attempt to replicate one another’s findings. In order to model the work of professional scientists, it is essential for fifth-grade students to engage in frequent discussions with peers about their understanding of their investigations.
• Systematic investigations require standard measures and consistent and reliable tools. Metric measures are a standard way to make measurements and are recognized around the world.
• A classification key is an important tool used to help identify objects and organisms. It consists of a branching set of choices organized in levels, with most levels of the key having two choices. Each level provides more specific descriptors, eventually leading to identification.
• A hypothesis is an educated guess/prediction about what will happen based on what you already know and what you have already learned from your research. It must be worded so that it is “testable.” The hypothesis can be written as an “If…, then….” statement, such as “If all light is blocked from a plant for two weeks, then the plant will die.”
• An independent variable is the factor in an experiment that is altered by the experimenter. The independent variable is purposely changed or
manipulated.
• A dependent variable is the factor in an experiment that changes as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.
• The constants in an experiment are those things that are purposefully kept the same throughout the experiment.
• When conducting experiments, data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and communicated using proper graphical representations and metric
measurements.
• Systematic investigations require organized reporting of data. The way the data are displayed can make it easier to see important patterns, trends, and relationships. Bar graphs and line graphs are useful tools for reporting discrete data and continuous data, respectively.
• A scientific prediction is a forecast about what may happen in some future situation. It is based on the application of factual information and principles
and recognition of trends and patterns.
• Estimation is a useful tool for making approximate measures and giving general descriptions. In order to make reliable estimates, one must have experience using the particular unit.
• An inference is a tentative explanation based on background knowledge and available data.
• A conclusion is a summary statement based on the results of an investigation. Scientific conclusions are based on verifiable observations (science is empirical).
• Scientific modeling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. It is an approximation or simulation of a real system that omits all but the most essential variables of the system. In order to create a model, a scientist must first make some assumptions about the essential structure and relationships of objects and/or events in the real world. These assumptions are about what is necessary or important to explain the phenomena.
• It is important for students to apply the science content that they have learned to current issues and applications.