Ch.1. sec 1 What is science?

Key terms:

What skills do scientists use to learn about the world?

You do not need to answer this question directly in your ISN, just write it under the section allotted for “Key Concepts”. Key Concepts will be things to think about during your learning of the section; they are to guide you in how you process the information.

If you can talk about the key concept easily, using examples and references from the book or other areas, you have a good grasp on the section. This is your goal

Chapter 1 Section 1

Key Terms for your ISN

Science

Observing

Quantitative observation

Qualitative observation

Inferring

Predicting

Classifying

Making Models

Life Science Write these in your ISN,

and give yourself enough space to define them (probably 2 lines each or so, depending on how big you write ) We will go through and write them into our ISNs as we learn.

How do we define science? What is science?

What is science? Let’s discuss it and write our definition in our ISNs. (science: a way of learning about the natural world; it also includes all

knowledge gained by exploring the natural world)

How do we “science”? What are the limits of science?

How do scientists work?

Observing – using your sense to gather information Qualitative observations – descriptions that can’t be

expressed in numbers

Quantitative observations – deal with numbers or amounts

What does quality mean? What does quantity mean?

Inferring – explaining or interpreting your observations

Predicting – making a forecast of what will happen based on past experience or evidence

Classifying – the process of grouping together items that are alike in some way

Making Models – creating representations of complex objects or processes

Models

Why do scientists use models? To help them study and understand things that are complex or

can’t be observed directly

Globes, maps, computer simulations of weather,

What other models have you used or can you think of?

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Observations

Qualitative observations which are useful in life science Color, size, texture (can be observed but not easily

measured)

Quantitative observations which are useful in life science (Based on quantity: Weight, Height, Length, area, volume,

speed, time, temperature, humidity, etc.)

Which is better?

Well, they both work differently.

Qualitative relates to quality, and isn’t usually measurable.

Quantitative refers to quantity, which is directly measureable. So, in experiments, because these can be directly measured, they are usually more helpful.

Examples: The road is long (qualitative)

The road is 2 miles long (quantitative)

The coffee is hot to the touch (qualitative)

The coffee is 100 degrees Farenheit (quantitative)

Observations vs. Inferences

Observations are made with the senses.

Inferences Explanations for the observations you have made

Based on past experiences and knowledge

May/can change when new information is available

Observation: You see steam rising from a cup of coffee

Inference: The coffee is hot.

You base your inferences on your observations (steam) and on prior knowledge (you know what steam comes from – heat).

Questions?

Does everyone understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative observations?

Observing vs. Inferring Slides

We’re going to look at some slides together

For each slide, write: a description of the image

1 observation

1 inference

1 prediction of what will happen next

Remember the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations Try to mix them up

Slide 1

Slide 2

Slide 3

Slide 4

Slide 5

So? Observations and inferences?

Have you learned the differences between observations and inferences? Questions?

Classifying?

Scientists “classify”, or group together items that are alike in some way, to keep information organized.

While this is important, this chapter does not go too in depth into classifying. When we get more information on classifying, we’ll come back to this topic.

For now, just now that classifying is important to science

Making Models

Making models involves creating representations of complex objects or processes. Models help people study difficult things or things that can’t be observed directly.

Using a model can communicate information that would otherwise be difficult to explain

What are some examples of models?

Life Science Careers

What is life science?

What could you do with a career in life science? Whom could you help?

Why is it important to study life science? What do you hope to learn from this class?

(Some!) Life science careers Botanist – study plants

Marine Biologist – study ocean life

Park Rangers – help maintain ecosystems at parks

Forestry Technician – help maintain forests and determine how/which lumber can be used

Health-Care Worker – doctors/nurses/etc

Let’s imagine a scenario:

You head home after a great day at Christ the King School. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you’re excited about eating hot dogs. You come in through the front door

and, after carefully laying out your science homework to be completed for that day, go into the kitchen to see bits of

hotdogs all over the kitchen floor. The hotdogs had been on the counter, and the only possible culprit, your Schnauzer,

Petey, isn’t confessing to the crime anytime soon. You thought Petey couldn’t reach the counters, but has he? Who done it

and how will you find out?

Remember to think like a scientist!

Who, Petey? He can’t even REACH the countertops, can he?

So far, what have you observed? How did you make the observation?

What can you infer about Petey, besides the fact that his sweet face may be lying to you about his hot dog eating?

If you were to put more hotdogs on the counter and leave Petey alone with them, what do you predict will

happen?

You can apply these techniques to other scenarios! We’ll go a little

further into the scientific process with the next section.

“If you don’t want me sneakily eating hotdogs when you aren’t looking, don’t make them so delicious.”

From this section: You should feel comfortable

discussing the skills that scientists use to analyze the world around them (observing, inferring, predicting). You should be able to discuss these easily with a friend.

You should be able to define the key terms easily.

You should definitely know how to define science in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the course.

You should have an idea of life science careers and how/why they are important.

These are the goals! If you don’t feel comfortable, go back through your notes and, if you need, the textbook.

If you are confused:

Ask me! I am here to help you learn this information in the simplest and most efficient way.

Practice questions!

What else is “life science” called?

What is an inference?

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations?

What is a globe an example of?

Review! Practice! With friends! Alone in your room! Whenever! Fit in 5 mins here, review for 5 mins there, practice practice.