10-20-17 Cambridge - Empirical Evidence

Do Now: Answer in your Science Notebook What is an example of direct evidence? Observing a volcano eruption in person and recording it. What is an example of indirect evidence? Observing freshly hardened magma nearby a volcano, giving evidence that a volcano did erupt.

Homework Study for Monday’s quiz!!! Review your identifying types of investigations homework assignments. Review the Meet a Scientist homework.

Activity: Working with Indirect Evidence Introduction: You will assume the role of scientists viewing and interpreting data. You will record indirect evidence of events that happened and learn what is involved in accurately interpreting indirect evidence. First, you will work in pairs to generate the indirect evidence that will be interpreted by another group.

Directions In pairs, you will receive Student Page 1 (Direct Evidence Secret Key) and Student Page 2 (Indirect Evidence Record). Each pair will also receive a paper template of a die. Cut out the die and glue the sides together to form a 6-sided die. Each pair will also need colored pencils or markers and paper.

Directions Roll the die and record the series of numbers you roll in order on the Record of Direct Evidence (Student Page 1, Step #1). Repeat this process for 20 rolls of the die. Then, choose a color to represent each number (1-6) on your Secret Key (Student Page 1, Step #2) and mark that color in the box next to the number. The color key should be kept secret from other student pairs. Then, record the colors that correspond to the sequence of numbers rolled (as you chose in your Key) on the Indirect Evidence Record (Student Page 2, Step #3). Do not write the numbers on the Indirect Evidence Record.

Directions Join with a neighboring pair to make a group of four. Your goal is to decode the other pair’s keys without speaking a word or looking at the Secret Key (Student Page 1). To figure out which color corresponds to which number, one pair watches (and takes notes) while the other pair continues to roll the die and place a color along their remaining squares in the Indirect Evidence Record (Student Page 2, Step #4). Once one pair has the key decoded and has identified which numbers were rolled in order on the Indirect Evidence Record (Step #5), check the key. Pairs should then switch roles.

Summary The natural world leaves indirect evidence of climate change. Scientists study how things in the natural world are affected by changes in temperature so that they can decode indirect evidence left behind by these natural things.

Nature’s Records of Climate Change (Proxy Data): These help us understand what the climate was like without us directly observing that climate Clues to how climate has changed exist in the natural world in tree rings, Arctic and Antarctic ice, and layers of sediments on the seafloor and lake bottoms. These data are indirect evidence of past climate because they help us to understand what the climate was like without us directly observing that climate.

Human Records of Climate Change

Anecdotal Evidence Anecdotal Evidence: Evidence based on stories, not data Based on a story of someone’s experience, often just a single example. People are often drawn to anecdotal evidence that supports something they already believe. Scientists do not value anecdotal evidence because it is not based on data that are collected in an objective way.

Anecdotal Evidence Example Read the provided story. What makes it a good example of anecdotal evidence? Oral record is being used as evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. While many “sightings” of the monster have been recorded, evidence for its existence remains largely anecdotal.

Anecdotal Evidence (cont.) The Nessie story is an example of the kind of anecdotal evidence we might see or hear on TV or the Internet. Anecdotal evidence may be gathered to verify a case or suggest a conclusion. A problem with this kind of evidence is that often it either represents what the presenter wants you to hear or relies on unproven data.

Practice: With your shoulder partner, identify the following evidence as either empirical evidence or anecdotal evidence Kerry collects data showing that one day after flies land on meat, maggots appear. A controlled experiment shows that if flies are prevented from landing on meat, maggots do not appear. Mary had a box of rags. Mice formed out of it. Maggots simply appeared on a piece of meat Jim left out. Maggots kept in a laboratory and observed matured into flies. Moths were made from blankets stored in Grandma’s attic. Aaron saw frogs appear from only mud and water after a flood. Researchers detect tiny frog eggs when studying a pond. 1st period did not go over the practice; use for Do Now on Monday

Practice: With your shoulder partner, identify the following evidence as either empirical evidence or anecdotal evidence Empirical Evidence Anecdotal Evidence Kerry collects data showing that one day after flies land on meat, maggots appear. A controlled experiment shows that if flies are prevented from landing on meat, maggots do not appear. Maggots kept in a laboratory and observed matured into flies. Researchers detect tiny frog eggs when studying a pond. Mary had a box of rags. Mice formed out of it. Maggots simply appeared on a piece of meat Jim left out. Moths were made from blankets stored in Grandma’s attic. Aaron saw frogs appear from only mud and water after a flood.