Science as Inquiry

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

• Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.
• Plan and conduct a simple investigation.
• Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
• Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.
• Communicate investigations and explanations.

Understandings about scientific inquiry

• Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientists already know about the world.
• Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer.
• Simple instruments, like rulers and magnifiers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses.
• Scientists develop explanations using observations and what they already know about the world. Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations.
• Scientists make the results of their investigations public.
• Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists’ work.

Properties of objects and materials

• Objects have observable properties, including size, weight, shape, and color.
• Objects are made of one or more materials and can be described by the properties from which they are made.
• Materials can exist in different states—solid, liquid, and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another.

Position and motion of objects

• An object’s motion can be described by tracing and measuring its position over time.
• The position of an object can be described by locating it relative to another object.

Organisms and their environments

• When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive, and others die or move.
• All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some changes are detrimental to the organism, others are beneficial.
• Humans depend on both their natural and their constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that can either be beneficial or detrimental for other organisms.

Properties of earth materials

• Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water, and the gases of the atmosphere; these materials have different physical properties.
• Soils have properties of color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.

Changes in the earth and sky

• The surface of the earth changes through processes such as erosion, weathering, and landslides.

Abilities of technological design

• Identify a simple problem.
• Propose a solution.
• Implementing proposed solutions.
• Evaluate a product or design.
• Communicate a problem, design, and solution.

Understandings about science and technology

• Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world.
• People have always had problems and invented tools and techniques to solve problems.
• Scientists and engineers often work in teams with different individuals contributing to the results.
• Tools help scientists make better observations.

Abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans

• Some objects occur in nature while others have been designed by people to solve human problems.
• Objects can be categorized into two groups, natural and designed.

Types of resources

• Resources are things we get from the living and nonliving environment to meet the needs and wants of a population.
• Some resources include basic materials, such as air, water, and soil.
• The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use.

Changes in environments

• Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans.
• Some environmental changes occur slowly, and others occur rapidly.

Science and technology in local challenges

• People continue inventing new ways of doing things and solving problems.
• Science and technology have greatly improved health. These benefits of science and technology are not available to all of the people of the world.

Science as a human endeavor

• There is still much more to be understood about science.
• Many people choose science as a career. Many people derive great pleasure from doing science.

Systems, order, and organization

Evidence, models, and explanation

Constancy, change, and measurement

Evolution and equilibrium

Form and function

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

• Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
• Design and conduct a scientific investigation.
• Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
• Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
• Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
• Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.
• Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.
• Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.

Understandings about scientific inquiry

• Scientists use different kinds of investigations, depending on the questions they are trying to answer.
• Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
• Scientific explanations emphasize evidence.
• Asking questions and querying others’ explanations is part of scientific inquiry.
• Scientific investigations sometimes result in new ideas for study or generate new methods for investigation.

Properties and changes of properties in matter

• A mixture of substances (such as soil and water) can often be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties—such as density.

Motions and forces

• The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed over time.

Regulation and behavior

• All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources and grow.

Earth and Space Science

Structure of the earth system

• Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces, including deposition of sediment, weathering, and erosion.
• Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material. Soils are often found in layers, each having a different composition and texture.
• Water, which covers the majority of the earth’s surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the "water cycle." Water evaporates, rises and cools, condenses, and falls to the earth where it collects in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.
• Clouds form by the condensation of water vapor.
• Living organisms have played many roles in the earth’s system, including contributing to the weathering of rock.

Earth’s history

• The earth processes we see today, including erosion, are similar to those that occurred in the past.

Earth in the solar system

• The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth’s surface, such as growth of plants and the water cycle.

Science and Technology

Abilities of technological design

• Identify appropriate problems for technological design.
• Design a solution or product.
• Implement a proposed solution.
• Evaluate completed technological designs or products.
• Communicate the process of technological design.

Understandings about science and technology

• Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences. Scientists propose explanations for questions; engineers propose solutions to problems and needs.
• Science and technology are reciprocal. Technology also provides tools for investigation, inquiry, and analysis.
• Perfectly designed solutions do not exist. All solutions have trade-offs, such as cost, efficiency, and appearance.
• Technological designs have constraints, such as properties of materials. Other constraints limit choice in design.

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Populations, resources, and environments

• Causes of resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country.

Natural hazards

• External processes of the earth system cause natural hazards, such as floods, that can destroy human and wildlife habitats.
• Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition and land-use decisions. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.

Risks and benefits

• Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might suffer consequences.
• Risks are associated with natural hazards, such as floods.
• Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

Science and technology in society

• Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different people.
• Scientists and engineers work in many different settings.
• Science cannot answer all questions and technology cannot solve all problems or meet all needs.

History and Nature of Science

Science as a human endeavor

• Women and men of various backgrounds engage in the activities of science. Some scientists work in teams and some work alone, but all communicate extensively with others.
• Science requires different abilities.

Nature of science

• Scientists formulate and test their explanations using observations, experiments, and mathematical models.
• It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of scientific investigations.

History of science

• Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science.

Unifying Concepts and Processes

Systems, order, and organization

Evidence, models, and explanation

Constancy, change, and measurement

Evolution and equilibrium

Form and function