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Guiding Question: What is the purpose of scientific explanations?
Hypotheses and Explanations
Hypotheses and Explanations
Key ideas
Key ideas
Science asks testable questions about natural phenomena.
Hypothesis: a tentative explanation that can be tested by investigation.
Must be falsifiable (can be proven false).
Explanations based on evidence from observation and experimentation.
Example: “If water is heated, then it will evaporate faster because increased temperature makes particles move quicker.”
Collecting evidence objectively
Collecting evidence objectively
reliable data
reliable data
Use controlled variables.
Repeat trials for accuracy.
Avoid bias and record all results (even unexpected ones).
Communicating scientific ideas
Communicating scientific ideas
Forms
Forms
Visual: graphs, tables, diagrams, models.
Written: lab reports, summaries.
Verbal: class talks, multimedia presentations.
Choose form & vocabulary to fit the audience.
Science as a self-correcting process
Science as a self-correcting process
Key Concept
Key Concept
New evidence can refine or replace earlier ideas.
Example corrections:
Earth orbits the Sun (not vice versa).
Taste map of the tongue replaced by modern understanding.
Vision from reflected light, not light emitted by the eyes.
One conflicting study isn’t enough—must be repeatedly tested.
You don’t need to learn or memorize the details of atomic theory for Grade 6, but this diagram below shows how scientific ideas change over time. As new evidence is discovered, scientists refine or replace earlier models.
Focus on how the explanation improves with better tools and observations, not the specific atomic models themselves.
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