1. Science in Context
Read the lesson title aloud to students.

2. Learning Objectives
Describe how attitudes and experiences generate new ideas.
Explain why peer review is important.
Explain the relationship between science and society.
List practices common to both science and engineering.
Click to show each of the learning objectives.
Before class, write a message on the board using a random arrangement of letters rather than recognizable words.
When students ask you about the message, point out that they are demonstrating curiosity, one of the scientific habits of mind.
Tell students: Scientists look at things in the world around them they do not understand and try to figure them out.

3. The Process of Science curiosity skepticism creativity open-mindedness
Discuss the dynamic, flexible, and unpredictable nature of science.
Ask: What might be useful qualities of a scientist?
You may wish to group students and have each group develop a list of qualities.
Click to reveal blanks; have each group of volunteers write their qualities on the board around the cycle diagram shown.
Click to reveal sample answers: curiosity, skepticism, creativity, open-mindedness

4. Exploration and Discovery
Tell students: Ideas in science can arise in many ways—from simple curiosity to the need to solve a particular problem.
Ask: What present-day issue or problem poses a question scientists could address?
Possible answers: how to reverse climate change, how to clean up pollution problems, how to tackle childhood obesity
Tell students: Technology plays an enormous role in science.
Click to highlight new technology.
Technology provides new opportunities to ask questions and to gather new forms of data with greater accuracy and quantity. Technologies developed by scientists have proved helpful to society.
Activity: Give students three to five minutes to come up with one piece of technology that is helpful to their lives and why.
Ask students to share ideas with the class.
You may want to exclude the most obvious, such as cell phones.
Alternative idea: Group students and give each an area in which technology is useful and ask them to come up with examples.
(medicine, industrial, automotive, household, education, government)
What present-day issue or problem poses a question scientists could address?

5. Discussion
Based on the following topics, come up with examples in which technology is useful.
medicine,
industrial,
automotive,
household,
education,
government

6. Community Analysis and Feedback
Ask: When a scientific paper is published, does that mean research about that topic is complete? Why or why not?
Possible answer: Publication of a paper does not mean that research about a topic is complete; it may open doors for many new studies about the same topic.
Describe the following example: A scientist discovered a certain species of plant could use a chemical signal to call in a species of wasp to attack insects eating its leaves. From this discovery, a plethora of other questions can arise and then be investigated.
Ask: What are some questions scientists could investigate based on this discovery?
Possible answers: Do all plants signal with other species? Do all wasps respond to plant signals? Which plants utilize signaling to defend themselves? Are there other defensive signals that work in other ways? What benefit does the wasp receive from responding to the signal? How did this signaling relationship evolve in the first place?
Tell students: A major way scientists communicate and keep information objective is through peer review. Publishing articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals allows researchers to share ideas and allows other scientists to evaluate and test the data and analysis.
Any scientist claiming to have discovered something new must be willing to reveal all of the details for peers to scrutinize and test for themselves.
This leads to a robust bank of knowledge that is credible.

7. Discussion
A scientist discovered a certain species of plant could use a chemical signal to call in a species of wasp to attack insects eating its leaves.
What are some questions scientists could investigate based on this discovery?

8. Benefits and Outcomes
Discussion: Use topics relating to social issues (click to highlight) and the role science plays in personal/public health and environmental issues.
Sample topics: effects of drugs and alcohol, high blood pressure, diabetes, AIDS, cancer, and heart disease
Ask: How does science influence society?
Possible answer: Scientific data helps provide answers to questions that affect everyday lives.
Help students understand that scientists do not work in a vacuum. Instead, their research is strongly influenced by society.
Ask: How does society influence science?
Possible answer: Society can limit the application of scientific ideas, especially if new scientific ideas conflict with prevailing cultural beliefs. For example, it used to be legal to smoke cigarettes in public places. Scientific studies proved second-hand smoke was dangerous, and people started to see cigarettes differently. Eventually laws changed, banning cigarettes from most public indoor areas.

9. Discussion
What is the role that science plays in the following social studies topics?
Effects of drugs and alcohol,
high blood pressure,
diabetes,
AIDS,
cancer,
heart disease

10. Science and Engineering Practices
Asking questions and defining problems
Developing and using models
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Using mathematics and computational thinking
Constructing explanations and designing solutions
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Tell students that although some of the specifics vary, the steps in scientific inquiry and engineering design are basically the same. Discuss each step and how it is similar to scientific methodology.