1. Topic 5: Thinking Like a Scientist
Grade 5 Quarter 1
Topic 5: Thinking Like a Scientist
Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science
Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge
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2. Investigating Evidence
Curriculum overview
Getting kids outside is a great way to inspire curiosity and questions!
This curriculum will help you turn these observations into investigations and encourage kids to draw their own evidence-based conclusions.
Investigating Evidence is part of the BirdSleuth curriculum
developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
It is located in Grade 5 Instructional Resources Q1 Thinking Like a Scientist.
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3. Think about a Scientist at Work
Discuss in your group. Be ready to share out.
Do you know people who use science in their work?
Who are they and what do they do?
Start a list in your notebook.
Engage: Investigating Evidence resources Lesson # 2 pp Ask students to think about a scientist at work. Discuss and then start a list in their notebooks that they will add to.
Play the video, Scientist at Work.
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4. Meet a Scientist (Investigating Evidence Lesson 2)
Directions: Read your group’s assigned scientist. Discuss it with your group and answer the questions. Draw a picture of what your scientist does. Group 1: Meet a Scientist – Mike Booth Group 2: Meet a Scientist – Susan Cook-Patton Group 3: Meet a Scientist – Marita Davison Group 4: Meet a Scientist – Anna Savage Group 5: Meet a Scientist – Taza Schaming Group 6: Meet a Scientist – Nate Senner
Explore and Explain: Explore: Lesson # 2 pp Say to students, Let’s read to learn more about people who use science in their work.
Students will work in groups to research and analyze a Meet the Science report to determine the question investigated , how and what data/information was collected, and what conclusions were made. Students will create a illustration of their scientist to present.
Students will add to their list of scientists.
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5. Meet a Scientist Presentation
Did the scientist observe something that led him/her to ask a question? If so, what did he or she observe?
What did the scientist wonder?
What kind of information or data did the scientist collect? How did they collect it?
What did this scientist learn as a result of his/her research?
* Draw a picture of what your scientist does.
Explain and evaluate: Groups present their responses.
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6. What did you learn?
1. What types of activities are common to all scientists?
2. What steps are sometimes, but not always, necessary in conducting
scientific research?
look at reference materials and resource
develop a hypothesis
Identify variables
design an investigation
collect and analyze data
draw conclusion
3. What are these steps known as?
Yes, the Scientific Method
Take a closer look at the scientific investigation Project Guidelines presented in the science fair handbook.
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7. Science Fair Handbook Scientific Investigation Project Guidelines
Step 1 – Choose a Topic and Problem Statement Step 2 – Form a Hypothesis Step 3 – Experimental Design Step 4 – Materials/Equipment Step 5 – Procedure Step 6 – Variables and Control Group Step 7 – Experiment Step 8 – Results Step 9 – Compare your results with your Hypothesis Step 10 – Draw Conclusions Step 11 – Applications Step 12 – Abstract and Bibliography
Source:
Elementary Science Fair Handbook
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8. Read the first paragraph. What was the purpose of the project?
What is an electromagnet?
Let’s watch a video about an electromagnet to find out.
What did you learn.
Now finish reading the abstract and answer the questions analyzing it with your group.
Be ready to share out your responses.
Explore: Let’s take a look at an abstract or summary of a science fair project done using the steps of the scientific investigation. Read just the first paragraph. What was the purpose of the project? (determine if increasing the number of wraps around an electromagnet will increase the magnet’s strength.) What is an electromagnet? Let’s watch a video about an electromagnet (
to find out. What did you learn? Now finish reading the abstract and answer the questions analyzing it with your group.
Be ready to share out your responses.
SC.5.N.2.2 Recognize and explain that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable by others.
Explore, Explain and Evaluate: Student read and analyze a student science project abstract. See next slide for questions. Then they follow the steps of the scientific method to replicate the experiment.
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9. Let’s Analyze the Wrap It Up Project
What was the hypothesis?
What was the test (independent or manipulated) variable?
What was the outcome (dependent or responding) variable?
What variables were held constant?
What concerns did the investigator share?
Do you have any other questions or concerns about the experiment?
How could you verify or confirm that the results (evidence) support the hypothesis?
You have learned that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable or be able to be recreated by others. What do you need to do to recreate or replicate the evidence produced by this investigation?
Now let’s see if we can replicate or recreate the electromagnet investigation.
Students answer in the questions as a group. One student records the group’s responses. Discuss responses as a whole class. Click on enter so that the staement shows.
Then Review Benchmark SC.5.N.2.2 Recognize and explain that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable by others. Make sure students understand what replicable means. ( Recreated – meaning that the investigations should produce the same evidence if repeated.) Read - We have learned that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable or recreated by others. Now let’s see if we can replicate the investigation.
Ahead of times you will need to gather the materials for the experiment.
Note: These questions from Investigating Evidence resource can be used to review any scientific investigation.
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10. Now let’s see if you can replicate (recreate) the electromagnet investigation
Here are resources to help in your investigation:
1. Replicating an Investigation Resources
Elem. Science Fair Handbook Scientific Investigation Project Guidelines p
2. How to Build an Electromagnet Resources
Scott Foresman Gr. 4 Guided Inquiry Investigate What is an electromagnet? (
3. Presentation Resources
 Science Fair Project Template Power Point
Go over the resources. Looking at the steps what will you and your group need to do? (research how to build an electromagnet) Show If the link does not open, copy and paste it into the internet. Or the elctromagnet from gr. 4 SF.
Ask:
Was the experiment on the video we watched an investigation or a demonstration? That’s right it’s a demonstration. What is missing? ( a question to answer) What was the question in the the abstract for Wrap It Up? (Will increasing the number of wraps around an electromagnet increase the electromagnet’s strength. Let’s look at directions to build an electromagnet science Bob’s site: tps://sciencebob.com/make-an-electromagnet/ What do you need to build one.
Now using the abstrat for Wrap it Up, available materials, and the rest of the reosurces on this slide work as a group to replicate the Wrap It Up investigation. Present your project using the
Science Fair Project Template Power Point or Easel Pad chart paper.
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11. What are you wondering about
What are you wondering about? Go online and/or to the library to find information on your topic.
Ask your self “What if…” questions. One of these questions could become your testable question, known as the problem statement.
Investigation Ideas:
What type of science fair project will your questions lead you to do?
An experiment
An experiment with a control group
Overview: Students ask their own questions. They read about practicing scientists, and discover the components of investigations and ways to answer scientific questions.
Investigating Evidence lesson 1. Teacher Guide p. 9
Engage: Ask students what they think is the purpose of an I WONDER board. Guide students to suggest that it displays questions that the girl or boy might have. Tell students that they can add questions that they have about the topics we are studying.
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12. For Teachers Only
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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13. Investigating Evidence Additional Resource Pages
Hypothesis Help pp.12–13
Variables in Your Experiment pp. 14–15 (“Control” & “Constants” T. G. p. 24)
Will a Fake Cat Scare Birds? pp. 16–17
Answering Your Scientific Questions pp. 18–23
Graphs of Bird Data p. 24
Graphing My Data pp. 25–29
Sharing My Report pp. 30–32
This for the teacher to over and present to her students. If time, briefly share the additional bolded resources. Hypothesis and then Variables pp. 14 Discuss difference between “Control” & “Constants” See T. G. p. 24.
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14. Investigating Science sample “Control” & “Constants” T. G. p. 24
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15. Other Scientific Method Resource Links
Scientific Method overview
Experiment Vocabulary
Control
Experiment
Thinking Like a Scientist
Fundamentals of Experimental Design
Experiment Ideas
Resources on line