Welcome to Science class!Mr. Gary Johnston

Saigon South International SchoolGrade 6 Science

What do we do here?Prove things that

can be answered in a book?

Regurgitate information so we can get a good grade?

No

No

Nobel Laureate-Isidor I. RabiWhen asked “what

made you want to be a scientist?” the man said:

“My mother. Every day when I came home from school, my mother didn’t ask me what I learned that day in school, but she asked me: What good questions did you ask in school today!”

We do this!

Good scientists ask good questions!

Click icon to add picture

What makes a good question?Makes you wonder! Debatable. Hmmmm.I cannot be answered on the internet or a

book. (Example: How many people died in World War 2?)

Leads to more questionsIt can be investigated by experimentation and

the scientific processHypothesisProcedureConclusions

Example: Victor Karlsson asked:Would you marry

someone that is the same or different ethnicity as you?

He noticed that mostly Korean students answered “same” so he asked another question!

SameDifferent

Korean students only:Would you marry

someone that is the same or different ethnicity as you?

He asked another question: “Why is this?” “Why do Koreans want to only marry Koreans?” So he asked Koreans who said “same”…

Culture

Parents

Com-munica-tionChild

What are the reasons that you would marry only someone that is the same ethnicity as you?

From this he asked questions like:

“What does your social circle say about your tolerance for other cultures?”

“Do you always listen to what your parents say?”

Attrac-tivenessParent InfluenceCultural attitudesSocial Circles

Famous Questioners in historyPeople What they didMendel

Einstein

Hawking

Spent decades questioning how inherited traits are passed on between pea plants.

Asked questions ranging from physics to astronomy

Questioned time- “Can it be slowed down? If so, how would it be measured?”

Current questions from www.edge.com•Why does music make me so happy?

•How can we tell what a baby is thinking?

•What do you believe is true, even though you cannot prove it?

Why is this important?As a student of science, you may have some

role in helping us understand some small part of the world.

Understanding the world is a important is we want to change it.

Changing our world for the better should be everyone’s duty, as we are all in this together and all share the same fate if our civilization fails.

2 questions for you to ponder from the teacher:Will I pods be

proven to be a device that contributes to social isolation?

Is teenage behavior more influenced by social circles, media such as TV and magazines or parents?

What will you help us discover?