Learning Links
Bird-watching / Surveys / Medicine / Journals / Mystery Stories / Mental Health / Interviews / Trial and Error / Engineering / Technology / Criminology / Forensics / Social Sciences / Choreography
Related Concepts
Observing / Inferring / Measuring / Identifying and Controlling Variables / Designing Investigations and Experiments / Verifying Results
Demonstrators should be read from bottom to top, but need not be demonstrated sequentially.
Elementary Demonstrators
• Observe and communicate properties of objects or organisms using all senses.
• Classify and order objects by one or more identifiable properties.
• Collect data by using a variety of observation techniques and measurement tools.
• Record and represent data in an organized form (e.g., tabular, graphic formats).
• Infer and formulate explanations or predict an outcome based on data.
• Identify variables that cause or influence an outcome.
• Design, conduct, and report an investigation or experiment.
Middle School Demonstrators
• Communicate measurements made with common and advanced technological tools.
• Classify objects using multiple criteria.
• Construct operational definitions to explain concepts or facilitate experiments/investigations.
• Interpret data to inter relationships and apply to new situations.
• Formulate models to illustrate or predict phenomena.
• Identify significant variables that affect the outcome of an experiment and design controls for the experiment.
• Design and conduct a controlled experiment based upon student-generated observations and hypotheses.
High School Demonstrators
• Evaluate a variety of quantified data to draw conclusions, infer relationships, and predict outcomes.
• Formulate a tentative conclusion based on limited data.
• Differentiate between correlation and cause-and- effect relationships.
• Evaluate alternatives to the experimental method as a means of inquiry.
• Manipulate variables within an experiment to determine the effects of each on a phenomenon.
• Use mathematical formulas to express relationships in new situations.
• Design and perform an inquiry of a real-life situation which extends knowledge from a previous experiment or investigation.
Sample Teaching/Assessment Strategies
Collaborative Process: Peer Tutoring / Community-Based Instruction: Networking / Continuous Progress Assessment: Observation, Portfolio Development, Performance Events/Exhibitions /Graphic Organizers: Mapping/Webbing, Venn Diagram / Problem Solving: Inquiry, Formulating Models, Simulations / Technology/Tools: Computers, Manipulatives / Whole Language Approach / Writing Process
These sample strategies offer ideas and are not meant to limit teacher resourcefulness. More strategies are found in the resource section.
Ideas for Incorporating Community Resources
• Participate in a scientific study to solve a specific problem at a museum, zoo, or business.
• Invite a local author, poet, playwright, or artist to discuss nature stories and how he/she verifies information or does research before beginning a project.
• Participate in a monitoring network (e.g., Kentucky Water Watch Program) to investigate procedures used in research.
• Utilize environmental and outdoor educational facilities in your area (e.g., 4-H camps, YMCA camps, state/federal parks) as part of a project that involves data collection.
Core Concept - Nature of Scientific Activity
Sample Elementary Activities
• Identify a real-world problem (e.g., effects of soil acidity on seed germination, methods for erosion control) and design an experiment to test a possible solution. PE, OE
• Conduct experiments with plants, using soil, water, and sunlight amounts as variables. Record changes on a spreadsheet. Display results using computer graphics. PE, P
• Observe, chart, and explain changes that occur in an aquarium over a two-month period comparing factors such as sunlight, water temperature, plant life, and animal life. P
• Construct at least three different classification schemes (e.g., size, shape, color) for 20 or more building blocks. PE, OE
• Investigate the variables that affect the flight of a paper glider, then predict the effect of altering one variable. Verify or refute predictions. PE, P
Applications Across the Curriculum
Variations on a theme: Weather
Language Arts
• Listen, record, and/or collect different types of weather forecasts from newspapers, radio, or other sources. Analyze similarities and differences in reporting styles. P
Mathematics
• Observe, record, and graph daily weather for a specified time. Compare one set of collected data to that from another time. PE, P
Social Studies
• Correlate the topography of an area with its weather conditions. Use a topographical map to track a weather system across the country. PE, OE
Arts and Humanities
• Make musical instruments which mimic or represent weather sounds (e.g., rain sticks). Sing or play original or existing music which simulates weather sounds. P
Practical Living
• Illustrate relationships among climate, geography, and clothing styles. PE, OE, P
Vocational Education
• Investigate careers which are directly influenced by weather and invite people in those careers to class for a panel discussion about weather. PE, OE, P
Sample Middle School Activities
• Classify a variety of objects based on observable properties (e.g., size, shape, color, texture). PE, OE
• Design and conduct a controlled experiment to explain the effects of companion planting as a means of pest control. Establish operational definitions for terms that will facilitate this experiment. Evaluate the effectiveness of companion planting compared to the use of pesticides. PE, P
• Formulate hypotheses and design an investigation that illustrates the reaction of a population of invertebrate organisms to various stimuli. PE, OE
• Identify the variables that affect the movement of a pendulum and design an experimental model (e.g., a playground swing). PE, OE, P
• Classify subjects with one or more identifiable properties (e.g., size, shape, color, texture, material, form, composition) while participating in a field study at a science-related industry, art gallery, children's museum, farm, or zoo. PE, OE, P
• Develop a survey instrument and conduct a classroom or school poll on a topic of interest (e.g., favorite pizza toppings, class elections). Draw conclusions, make graphic representations, and share the results with the class. PE, OE, P
• Determine the percent of water in different brands of popcorn. Correlate the percentage of popped to unpopped kernels and that relationship to the percentage of water in the kernels. PE
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
• Write an article for a newspaper about the advantages of a hands-on science program. PE, P
Mathematics
• Determine the rate of flow from a single small hole in a water-filled, sealable plastic bag. Predict the amount of time needed for the bag to empty. Test your prediction. PE
Social Studies
• Compare the experimental scientific method with observation methods used by social scientists. Determine how the use of factual information is sometimes influenced by human perspective and/or emotion. P
• Analyze the political and economic systems of a foreign country by collecting and reading newspaper articles and observing trends. Make predictions about the country's future. OE, P
Arts and Humanities
• Design a futuristic musical instrument; communicate the mechanics of the design which produces sound. PE, P
• Listen to Holtz's The Planets. Compare the scientific and musical elements; create movement sequences illustrating the musical or scientific ideas. PE, P
• Determine the quantity of water needed to convert dry tempera paint to a fluid, opaque consistency. PE, OE
Practical Living
• Compare various cereal products for recommended daily allowances (RDA). Present results in chart form with recommendations for purchase. OE, P
• Test grooming products (e.g., soap, deodorant, toothpaste) for pH balance; interview appropriate specialists for recommended pH levels of products; determine which products are best for the human body. PE, OE, P
Vocational Education
• Determine the fat content of various types of meat and their relative digestibility. PE
• Investigate the volume of cooked and uncooked nice compared to raw and cooked pasta. Analyze any differences. PE
Sample High School Activities
• Design and carry out an experiment for the purpose of expanding existing knowledge developed through previous experimentation. For example, find an unresolved question in research materials and design an experiment to answer this question. PE, OE, P
• Examine a research article in a scientific journal. Identify the hypothesis, independent and dependent variables; study the data and evaluate the conclusions. PE
• Conduct a long-term water survey. Correlate fluctuations in biodiversity and other environmental influences with chemical analyses. PE, P
• Propose procedures a forensic chemist might follow to extract and identify blood samples. Simulate the scene of a come; read the procedures for analysis to identify blood types. P
• Investigate treatment alternatives that may hold promise for individuals suffering from incurable diseases.
• Debate pros and cons of each treatment. P
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
• Compare the quality of the water systems serving your county using past and current copies of Kentucky's Environment Report. Prepare a presentation for your local town council. Include a position paper. PE, P
Mathematics
• Investigate a method to determine the diameter of the earth or the distance between the earth and moon using principles of geometry. PE, P
Social Studies
• Conduct a survey to obtain attitudes and reactions concerning global issues (e.g., genetic engineering, invitro fertilization); present ways that students can positively impact future decisions. P
• Assess a crisis situation where limited resources for survival are available (e.g., plane crash, new colony). Propose resources necessary for survival. OE, P
Arts and Humanities
• Communicate scientific discoveries by creating an original product or performance using music, visual arts, drama or dance. PE
Practical Living
• Test the air quality of the community, compare results to professional tests, and make recommendations based on the combined results. PE, P
• Conduct lab experiments on textiles to determine the effects of various stain-removal products and procedures. PE, P
Vocational Education
• Determine the pH level and needed nutrients of soil samples. Test types of plants best suited to specific pH levels.
• Investigate and compare the environmental and economic ramifications of using one item (e.g., aluminum, paper plate) recycled ten times to the cost of using ten new items. PE, P
• Design and conduct an experiment using leavening agents. Summarize findings. PE, P