California science grade 5 (5)

Investigate and Experiment Lava flows from an active volcano What Is Science? Science is a way of understanding the world around us The work of scientists often begins when scientists ask questions about something they observe Asking and answering questions is the basis of inquiry In this section, you will see how scientists use inquiry skills, visual literacy, reading skills, technology and information literacy, math skills, and writing skills as they study volcanoes Investigation and Experimentation Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations Students will: a Develop a hypothesis b Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data c Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables Inquiry Skills These are the inquiry skills scientists use You can use these skills, too Observe Infer Classify Measure Use numbers Communicate Predict Record Data Analyze Data Form a Hypothesis Use Variables Experiment Make a Model d Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations e Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation f Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and construct and interpret a simple scale map g Interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., the relative ages of rocks and intrusions) h Identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hillslope) Observation > The diagram on this page shows what is usually called the “scientific method.” Scientists don’t always follow all these steps in the same order, but they often start with an observation about the world around us You, too, are constantly making observations every moment you are awake You might look out the window to see if it is raining You might listen for the sound of thunder to find out if a storm is coming Inquiry Skills Scientists are curious people who observe the world around them and try to understand it To observe means to use your senses to learn about something Scientists ask questions about the things they observe You can too When you ask questions about the things you see, smell, hear, taste, or feel, you are a scientist When you make observations, you use these skills Observe Use your senses to learn about an object or event Classify Place things that share properties together in groups Measure Find the size, distance, time, volume, area, mass, weight, or temperature of an object or an event This photograph shows the town of St Pierre on the island of Martinique It sits at the base of Mt Pelée, an active volcano Why you think scientists might want to closely observe this volcano? Question and Hypothesis > The work of scientists often starts with an unanswered question If scientists cannot find an answer to a question, they go one step further They propose a possible answer that can be tested experimentally This is known as forming a hypothesis A good hypothesis must ▸ be based on what you observe ▸ be testable by performing an experiment ▸ be useful in predicting new findings Scientists who study volcanoes are called volcanologists This volcanologist is examining lava as it flows into the ocean What you think happens to lava when it flows into ocean water? Form a hypothesis to answer this question Inquiry Skills A scientific hypothesis must be testable That means you must be able to support or disprove your hypothesis by experimenting When you experiment you a hands-on activity to test an idea Scientists often research before they experiment They look in books, scientific journals, or Internet resources for information that other scientists have already learned Scientists also know that they cannot rely on someone’s opinion or claim unless it has been backed up by observations When you ask questions and form hypotheses, you use these skills Infer Form an idea from facts or observations Form a hypothesis Make a statement that can be tested to answer a question Scientists test a hypothesis by doing experiments Although scientists don’t always wear lab coats or even work in a laboratory, every good experiment must ▸ change only one variable at a time ▸ be able to be repeated Why are these two rules important? First, scientists must be able to check each other’s work for accuracy Second, if you use more than one variable in an experiment, it may be difficult to identify the variable that was responsible for the results For example, scientists might measure the temperature of lava at different locations on a volcano What would happen if they changed both the depth and the location at which they measured the temperature? Experiment > Inquiry Skills Before you test a hypothesis, you must have a plan When scientists make a plan, they think about the variables they want to test A variable is something that can be changed or controlled It is important to change or control only one variable at a time Keep all other parts of the experiment the same That way you will know that a single variable caused your results When you experiment, you use these skills Experiment Perform a test to support or disprove a hypothesis Use variables Identify things in an experiment that can be changed or controlled Predict State possible results of an event or experiment Make a model Make something to represent an object or event After they determine their variables, scientists decide what materials they will need Then they write a procedure A procedure is a series of numbered steps that tell what to and the order in which to them After scientists have developed their procedure, they predict what will happen when they follow it To predict means to tell what you think will happen In an experiment a scientist tries to observe carefully and collect good data Once the data have been gathered, it is time to interpret it Collecting and interpreting data often requires working with numbers These volcanologists are taking samples of gases escaping from vents on the side of a volcano They are careful to wear protective clothing and gas masks Why you think it is important to know what gases are produced by a volcano? 10 Collecting Data > Inquiry Skills When scientists follow their procedure, they make observations and record data Data is information Measurements are a type of data Scientists use measurements whenever they can to describe objects and events Scientists measure such things as length, volume, mass, temperature, and time They use special tools, such as rulers, thermometers, scales, balances, and binoculars to make sure that their observations and measurements are accurate Scientists repeat their procedure several times This helps them know if their results are correct They often compare their results with other scientists Other scientists will repeat the procedure to see if they get the same results When you collect and interpret data, you use these skills Use numbers Order, count, add, subtract, multiply, and divide to explain data Measure Find the size, distance, time, volume, area, mass, weight, or temperature of an object or an event Record data Accurately arrange and store information collected in science investigations Analyze data Use the information that has been gathered to answer questions or solve a problem 11 After interpreting the data, it is time to draw a conclusion A conclusion is a statement about whether or not the hypothesis is valid based on the data collected Sometimes the data not support the hypothesis Perhaps different experiments and observations are needed A new question may result Scientists also tell other scientists, as well as members of the public, about what they have learned For example, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) operates five volcano observatories They observe activity leading to eruption, provide emergency information about future and ongoing eruptions, identify hazardous areas around active and potentially active volcanoes, and improve public understanding of how volcanoes erupt and change the enviorment 12 Conclusion Inquiry Skills Scientists organize and analyze their data to see if the results support or disprove their hypothesis They determine if their prediction matched their results They draw conclusions and try to explain their results When you draw conclusions you interpret observations to answer questions When you draw conclusions and communicate results, you use this skill Communicate Share information You communicate when you tell others what you have learned Much of the communication done by scientists is done by writing Scientists often write about their findings and publish them in books and science magazines Scientists several things when they publish their findings They tell other scientists what they are doing By making their findings public, other scientists can also benefit when they work When scientists communicate the results of their experiments, they also make their results available for others to check As you can see, scientists rarely, if ever, work alone Sometimes the results of an experiment lead to new questions These questions can be used to form a new hypothesis and perform new experiements This way of working is called the scientific method 13 Forming a Hypothesis Science often starts with unanswered questions, and you can too In one class, a group of students wondered if there was a pattern in the location of volcanoes around the world This formed the basis for their question Pico de Orizaba, Mexico Question Are volcanoes more common in certain places than in others? The students turned their question into a hypothesis A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested to answer a question A hypothesis can be formed as an “If then ” statement Mount Fuji, Japan Hypothesis If volcanoes most often occur in certain places, then an analysis of volcano locations will show a pattern Lassen Peak, California Mount Erebus, Antarctica Karymsky Volcano Kamchatka, Russia 14 IE 7.a Develop a hypothesis The World ’s Volcanos Volcano Latitude 39o N 38o N 16o N 0.4oS 35o N 4oS 37o N 0.3oS 64o N 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 58o N 6oS 40o N 19o N 16oS 46o N 42o N 40oS 19o N 15o N 40o N Longitude 44oE 30oW 24oW 78oW 52oW 103oE 15oE 90oW 19oW 155oW 105oE 121oW 155oW 71oW 122oW 140oE 73oW 102oW 61oW 14oE Mount Shasta, California 15 Testing a Hypothesis The students decided to test their hypothesis by plotting on a map places where volcanoes have erupted so that they could identify patterns Procedure On a small outline map, mark the locations where volcanoes are found Use the table of volcano locations on page 15 Observe Are most volcanoes located near the edges or near the centers of continents? 16 IE 7.f Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and construct and interpret a simple scale map Evaluating Evidence The students used this map to evaluate whether the results were consistent with their hypothesis Analyze Data Does the map show a pattern in the arrangement of volcanoes? Draw Conclusions Are Earth’s volcanoes grouped in certain areas? IE 7.e Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation 17 Asking New Questions Sometimes the result of an investigation can lead to new questions After analyzing the data and communicating their results to the rest of the class, the students had another question they wondered about Question Is there a relationship between the locations of active volcanoes and the location of earthquakes? Hypothesis Write a hypothesis for this question What data you need to answer this question? Discuss the question with your classmates Work together to develop a plan to test your hypothesis 18 IE 7.a Develop a hypothesis • IE 7.d Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations  ... N 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 58 o N 6oS 40o N 19o N 16oS 46o N 42o N 40oS 19o N 15o N 40o N Longitude 44oE 30oW 24oW 78oW 52 oW 103oE 15oE 90oW 19oW 155 oW 105oE 121oW 155 oW 71oW 122oW 140oE... Lassen Peak, California Mount Erebus, Antarctica Karymsky Volcano Kamchatka, Russia 14 IE 7.a Develop a hypothesis The World ’s Volcanos Volcano Latitude 39o N 38o N 16o N 0.4oS 35o N 4oS 37o...What Is Science? Science is a way of understanding the world around us The work of scientists often begins when