STANDARD 5.1    (SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES)    ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING AND INQUIRY SKILLS, REFLECTED BY FORMULATING USABLE QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES, PLANNING EXPERIMENTS, CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATIONS, INTERPRETING AND ANALYZING DATA, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, AND COMMUNICATING RESULTS.

Descriptive Statement:  Students best learn science by doing science. Science is not merely a collection of facts and theories but a process, a way of thinking about and investigating the world in which we live. This standard addresses those skills that are used by scientists as they discover and explain the physical universe-skills that are an essential and ongoing part of learning science.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 8, students will:

 

 

A.     Habits of Mind

 1.         Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of data, claims, and arguments.

 2.         Communicate experimental findings to others.

 3.         Recognize that the results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same and that replication is often necessary.

 4.         Recognize that curiosity, skepticism, open-mindedness, and honesty are attributes of scientists.

 

B.     Inquiry and Problem Solving

 1.         Identify questions and make predictions that can be addressed by conducting investigations.

 2.         Design and conduct investigations incorporating the use of a control.

 3.         Collect, organize, and interpret the data that result from experiments.

 

C.     Safety

 1.         Know when and how to use appropriate safety equipment with all classroom materials.

 2.         Understand and practice safety procedures for conducting science investigations.

 

Link to Standard 5.1 Grade K-4

 

Link to Standard 5.1 High School

 

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