INQUIRY AND PROCESS SKILLS

BASED ON ALL STANDARDS

It should be a goal of the instructor to foster the development of science process skills. The application of these skills allows students to investigate important issues in the world around them.

 

Inquiry-based units will include many or most of the following process skills. These process skills should be incorporated into students’ instruction as developmentally appropriate.

 

Classifying – arranging or distributing objects, events, or information representing objects or events in classes according to some method or system

 

Communicating – giving oral and written explanations or graphic representations of observations

 

Comparing and contrasting – identifying similarities and differences between or among objects, events, data, systems, etc.

 

Creating models – displaying information, using multisensory representations

 

Gathering and organizing data – collecting information about objects and events which illustrate a specific situation

 

Generalizing – drawing general conclusions from particulars

 

Identifying variables – recognizing the characteristics of objects or factors in events that are constant or change under different conditions

 

Inferring – drawing a conclusion based on prior experiences

 

Interpreting data – analyzing data that have been obtained and organized by determining apparent patterns or relationships in the data

 

Making decisions – identifying alternatives and choosing a course of action from among the alternatives after basing the judgment for the selection on justifiable reasons

 

Manipulating materials – handling or treating materials and equipment safely, skillfully, and effectively

 

Measuring – making quantitative observations by comparing to a conventional or nonconventional standard

 

Observing – becoming aware of an object or event by using any of the senses (or extensions of the senses) to identify properties

 

Predicting – making a forecast of future events or conditions expected to existx

PROCESS SKILLS BASED ON STANDARDS 1, 2, 6, AND 7:

 

Science process skills should be based on a series of discoveries. Students learn most effectively when they have a central role in the discovery process. To that end, Standards 1, 2, 6, and 7 incorporate in the Elementary Science Core Curriculum a student-centered, problem-solving   approach to intermediate science. The following is an expanded version of the skills found in Standards 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology. This list is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the content or skills that teachers are expected to incorporate into their curriculum. It should be a goal of the instructor to encourage science process skills that will provide students with background and curiosity sufficient to prompt investigation of important issues in the world around them.

 

STANDARD 1—Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

 

MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS:

 

Key Idea 1:

Abstraction and symbolic representation are used to communicate mathematically.

 

Key Idea 2:

Deductive and inductive reasoning are used to reach mathematical conclusions.

 

Key Idea 3:

Critical thinking skills are used in the solution of mathematical problems.

 

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

 

Key Idea 1:

The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena

in a continuing, creative process.

 

Key Idea 2:

Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.

 

Key Idea 3:

The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.

 

 

 

ENGINEERING DESIGN:

 

Key Idea 1:

Engineering design is an iterative process involving modeling and optimization (finding the best solution within given constraints); this process is used to develop technological solutions to problems within given constraints.

 

STANDARD 2—Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies

 

Key Idea 1:

Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning.

 

Key Idea 2:

Knowledge of the impacts and limitations of information systems is essential to its effectiveness and ethical use.

 

Key Idea 3:

Information technology can have positive and negative impacts on society, depending upon how it is used.

 

STANDARD 6—Interconnectedness: Common Themes

Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

 

Key Idea 1:

Through systems thinking, people can recognize the commonalities that exist among all systems and how parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific functions.

 

Key Idea 2:

Models are simplified representations of objects, structures, or systems, used in analysis, explanation, or design.

 

Key Idea 3:

The grouping of magnitudes of size, time, frequency, and pressures or other units of measurement into a series of relative order provides a useful way to deal with the immense range and the changes in scale that affect behavior and design of systems.

 

Key Idea 4:

Equilibrium is a state of stability due either to a lack of changes (static equilibrium) or a balance between opposing forces (dynamic equilibrium).

 

Key Idea 5:

Identifying patterns of change is necessary for making predictions about future behavior and conditions.

 

Key Idea 6:

In order to arrive at the best solution that meets criteria within constraints, it is often necessary to make trade-offs.

 

STANDARD 7—Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

 

Key Idea 1:

The knowledge and skills of mathematics, science, and technology are used together to make informed decisions and solve problems, especially those relating to issues of science/technology/society, consumer decision making, design, and inquiry into phenomena.

 

Key Idea 2:

Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results.

 

 

PROCESS SKILLS BASED ON STANDARD 4

 

General Skills

1. follow safety procedures in the classroom and laboratory

2. safely and accurately use the following measurement tools:

•  metric ruler
•  balance
•  stopwatch
•  graduated cylinder
•  thermometer
•  spring scale
•  voltmeter

3. use appropriate units for measured or calculated values

4. recognize and analyze patterns and trends

5. classify objects according to an established scheme and a student-generated scheme

6. develop and use a dichotomous key

7. sequence events

8. identify cause-and-effect relationships

9. use indicators and interpret results

 

Living Environment Skills

1. manipulate a compound microscope to view microscopic objects

2. determine the size of a microscopic object, using a compound microscope

3. prepare a wet mount slide

4. use appropriate staining techniques

5. design and use a Punnett square or a pedigree chart to predict the probability of certain traits

6. classify living things according to a student-generated scheme and an established scheme

7. interpret and/or illustrate the energy flow in a food chain, energy pyramid, or food web

8. identify pulse points and pulse rates

9. identify structure and function relationships in organisms

 

Physical Setting Skills

1. given the latitude and longitude of a location, indicate its position on a map and determine the 

    latitude and longitude of a given location on a map

2. using identification tests and a flow chart, identify mineral samples

3. use a diagram of the rock cycle to determine geological processes that led to the formation of a     

    specific rock type

4. plot the location of recent earthquake and volcanic activity on a map and identify patterns of 

    distribution

5. use a magnetic compass to find cardinal directions

6. measure the angular elevation of an object, using appropriate instruments

7. generate and interpret field maps including topographic and weather maps

8. predict the characteristics of an air mass based on the origin of the air mass

9. measure weather variables such as wind speed and direction, relative humidity, barometric  

    pressure, etc.

10. determine the density of liquids, and regular- and irregular-shaped solids

11. determine the volume of a regular- and an irregular-shaped solid, using water displacement

12. using the periodic table, identify an element as a metal, nonmetal, or noble gas

13. determine the identity of an unknown element, using physical and chemical properties

14. using appropriate resources, separate the parts of a mixture

15. determine the electrical conductivity of a material, using a simple circuit

16. determine the speed and acceleration of a moving object

 

STANDARD 4: The Living Environment

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the   physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

 

Key Idea 1:

Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.

 

Key Idea 2:

Organisms inherit genetic information in a variety of ways that result in continuity of structure and function between parents and offspring.

Key Idea 3:

Individual organisms and species change over time.

 

Key Idea 4:

The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.

 

Key Idea 5:

Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.

 

Key Idea 6:

Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.

 

Key Idea 7:

Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.

 

STANDARD 4: The Physical Setting

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

 

Key Idea 1:

The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.

 

Key Idea 2:

Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.

 

Key Idea 3:

Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity.

 

Key Idea 4:

Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms change energy is conserved.

 

Key Idea 5:

Energy and matter interact through forces that result in changes in motion.