The Golem: What You Should Know About Science, Collins and Pinch (1998). (Available as paperback or as e-book)

Great ResourcesGreat Resources

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/physics/electricity-magnets-and-circuits

Science and its MethodsScience and its Methods

Think, Pair, ShareThink, Pair, Share

What are the goals of science? What process do scientists use to

answer questions of interest? What are the steps of the scientific

method?

Scientific MethodScientific Method1. Ask a question 2. Do background research 3. Develop a hypothesis 4. Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment 5. Analyze your data 6. Draw a conclusion 7. Communicate your results

ActivityActivityMake careful observations the object. What do you think this object is?

Is this an observation or an inference?

Observation: ◦Using your 5 senses to gather information about your surroundings

Inference: ◦A conclusion based on evidence; an “educated guess”

FossilFossil FragmentsFragments

1. Accurately record your fossils on the paper.

2. Use only one color when drawing your fossil fragment.

3. Place the drawing near the middle of the sheet.

4. You may enlarge your drawing of the fossil to show more detail.

5. Be sure to include a scale (1x for life size, 2x for twice life size)

6. You’ll be adding to the drawing – make sure it is small enough that you can add to it later.

FossilFossil FragmentsFragments1. Using a different color, draw the rest of the

organism represented by the fossil fragment.

2. Draw the organism in its habitat/niche/environment:

Consider:

1.How does the organism fit into its environment?

2.What does it eat? What eats it?

FossilFossil FragmentsFragments

Now, share your results!

What part of the drawing represents an observation?

What part represents an inference?

FossilFossil Fragments: Final QuestionsFragments: Final Questions• How were you able to infer the complete

organism & its environment from a piece of fossil?

• Why did some of you with similar fossil fragments draw different organisms?

• How is the process you used similar to that of paleontologists?

• Would a paleontologist have reached the same conclusions about your organism and the environment as you did? Why or why not?

FossilFossil Fragments: Final QuestionsFragments: Final Questions

• Did we follow the scientific method?

• Do scientists always follow the scientific method?

• What are some issues in referring to THE scientific method with your students?

Scientific MethodScientific Method

The steps of the scientific method are to:

1. Ask a question 2. Do background research 3. Develop a hypothesis 4. Test your hypothesis by doing an

Experiment 5. Analyze your data 6. Draw a conclusion 7. Communicate Your Results

FossilFossil Fragments: Final Fragments: Final QuestionsQuestions

Is this science?

• Did we follow the scientific method?• Do scientists always follow THE scientific

method?• What are other methods/ways scientific

knowledge is developed?• What are some science disciplines that rely

heavily on these other methods? • What are some issues in referring to THE

scientific method with middle/high school students?

What does this activity teach us What does this activity teach us about the nature of science?about the nature of science?

1. Scientific knowledge can be the product of observation and inference.

2. Developing scientific knowledge involves imagination and creative thinking.

3. Scientists’ background knowledge can influence their interpretation of data.

4. Scientists use many creative approaches to answer questions of interest. There is no single scientific method.

Unicorn constructed from fossil fragment

The Hazards of Inferences