S CIENCEC ONCEPTS &PROCESSES

Transcription

1 The BASIC NotB oring SERIES SCIENCE SKILLS IP MIDDLE GRADES S CIENCEC ONCEPTS &PROCESSES Inventive Exercises to Sharpen Skills and Raise Achievement Series Concept & Development by Imogene Forte & Marjorie Frank Exercises by Marjorie Frank INCENTIVE PUBLICATIONS

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... Celebrate Basic Science Skills... 7 Skills Checklist for Science Concepts & Processes... 8 SKILLS EXERCISES... 9 Science Statements Under Scrutiny (The Nature of Science; Branches of Science) Who Studies What?... (Science Fields of Study) Dazzling Discoveries & Ingenious Inventions (Scientific Discoveries & Inventions) What Difference Does It Make?... (Scientific Discoveries & Inventions) History Mysteries... (The History of Science) Science Gets Personal (The Nature of Science: Personal & Social Perspectives) Surrounded by Science (The Nature of Science: Personal & Social Perspectives) A Tight Relationship... (Science, Technology, & Society) No Escape from Consequences... (Science & Technology) Fantastic Explanations... (Scientific Laws & Theories) The Search is On... (Scientific Inquiry) Sorting Out Big Ideas... (Science Concepts) The Whole Thing... (Science Concept: Systems) Looking for Order... (Science Concepts: Order & Organization)... 31

3 What Is It About That Shape?... (Science Concept: Form & Function) Operation Interaction... (Science Concept: Energy-Matter) Connection Inspection... (Science Concept: Cause & Effect) To Change or Not to Change (Science Concepts: Change & Constancy; Equilibrium & Evolution) Science Repeats Itself... (Science Concept: Cycle) Concepts Get Real... (Science Concepts in Real Life) Pay Attention!... (Science Process: Observe) Science Has Class... (Science Process: Classify) More Than Just a Guess... (Science Process: Hypothesize) You Do The Math... (Science Processes: Measure; Use Numbers) So What?... (Science Processes: Infer; Predict) Not The Real Thing... (Science Process: Use Models) So, Why Does the Egg Float? (Science Process: Interpret; Explain; Communicate) In Pursuit of Answers... (Science Process: Design an Experiment) Proceed With Care... (Science Processes: Safety) APPENDIX Terms for Science Concepts & Processes Fields of Science Skills Test Skills Test Answer Key Answers to Exercises... 61

4 The Nature of Science SCIENCE STATEMENTS UNDER SCRUTINY The brilliant physicist, Dr. R. R. Radon, knows plenty about science. So, his scientific statements are generally accurate. Scrutinize each group of statements. In each group, identify the statement or statements that he would make (assuming he s making true statements). Circle the correct letter or letters. 1. a. Most scientific ideas are proven to be true. b. All scientific ideas are subject to change. c. Many scientific ideas are absolutely true; others are subject to change. 2. a. Fields of science often overlap with one another. b. Fields of science rarely overlap with one another. c. Fields of science never overlap with one another. 3. a. Most scientists have the same set of skills and abilities. b. Scientists have a wide range of different interests, skills, and abilities. c. All scientists in one field of study share the same skills and abilities. 4. a. Science did not exist until after the Middle Ages. b. The first scientific discovery was the discovery that the Earth is round. c. Scientific discoveries began thousands of years ago, probably as early as human life began. 5. a. Important contributions to science have been made by men and women of many different cultures, countries, and ethnic backgrounds, over a long period of time. b. Most important scientific discoveries have been made by men in the Western Hemisphere. c. Most important scientific discoveries have been made in the last one hundred years. Use with page a. When different scientists investigate the same problem, they keep working until they all agree on the results of their studies before they publish the results. b. Scientists researching the same problem often find and publish different results. c. Scientists researching the same problem usually publish similar results. Name Basic Skills Science Concepts & Processes Copyright 2002 by Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN.

5 The Nature of Science 7. a. Good scientific research requires the use of human qualities such as curiosity, creativity, honesty, and judgment. b. Good scientific research requires that scientists disregard personal beliefs and ethics. c. Good scientific research requires that scientists start with a brand new idea or question that has not been considered before. 8. a. Eventually, science will probably be able to solve all human problems. b. Eventually, science will probably be able to solve most human problems. c. There will continue to be human problems that science cannot solve. 9. a. Scientific explanations place heavy importance on evidence. b. Most scientific explanations or conclusions also raise more questions. c. Math is important to all aspects of scientific discovery 10. a. Most scientists work alone. b. Most scientists work in teams. c. All scientists work in laboratories 11. seismology 12. genetics 13. psychology 14. chemistry 15. aeronautics 16. biology 17. statistics 18. meteorology 19. zoology 20. anthropology 21. geometry 22. economics 23. astronomy 24. anatomy Use with page 10. Name Basic Skills Science Concepts & Processes Copyright 2002 by Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN.