What is Science?
A Science Bootcamp
A Science Bootcamp
"Seldom do people think things trough foolishly. More often, they do not bother to think things through at all, so that even brainy individuals can reach untenable conclusions because their brainpower means little if it is not deployed and applied."
- Thomas Sowell, American economist and social theorist
Do you understand what science is and what science does? It seems like an easy question, right? Everyone understands what science is/does . . . or, at least they think they do.
So let's start with an opening activity. If we are doing this together in class, I will give you piece of paper for this assignment. If you are doing this outside of class, you need to write in on your own piece of paper.
On your paper, I want you to answer the following prompt(s):
What is science?
How does science work?
Let's do a quick warm-up activity before we begin our first lesson. First, go to the Politics page from the Simple English Wikipedia. Read the first paragraph only and make sure you understand what "politics" means.
Now, read the following quote by John Barry author of, The Great Influenza.
"When you mix politics and science, you get politics."
Form Response: What do you think the author means in this quote? Do agree? Disagree? Do you understand the quote? Take a moment and write down a well-thought out response. Use the form below to submit your responses. Use the spreadsheet to review student answers.
Mixing Politics and Science: Submission Form (NOTE: This form will not open until we are ready to complete it as a class and it will close when we are done accepting submissions).
Mixing Politics and Science: Submission Spreadsheet (NOTE: This document will not be shared until the form closes)
There are no wrong answers to this prompt (unless you don't actually answer what is being asked of you . . . so make sure you answer all parts of the prompt.) Write down your answer and be prepared to discuss/defend in class.
Do you know what science is? It seems like an easy question, right? Everyone knows what science is . . . or at least they think they do. However, if I were to ask you right now to give me a definition of science, could you do it? How certain would you be that the answer you gave was a good explanation for the definition of science?
The truth is that most people don't a firm grasp on what science is . . . or maybe to put it a better way, what science does. Follow the news or people's comments in social media and you will routinely hear people say things like:
"The science isn't settled."
"This study proves . . . "
"Science can be bought."
"The science is wrong."
"I don't believe the science"
"It is a scientific fact!"
These common statements are usually thrown around by people who are trying to give legitimacy to a claim they are trying to make. The problem, however, is that these are not generally the types of statements/comments by anyone who actually does scientific work. These are generally political statements, not science statements.
In this unit, you will go through a series of lessons that should help you be able to understand what science is and what science does.
Let's take a quick survey on how well you understand science. Complete the survey and then we will discuss the results in class:
Complete the Science Knowledge Survey.
Page SEVEN in your Science Notebook is reserved for the seven CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS.
You can find the seven Crosscutting Concepts (CCs) on the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) website.
Copy down both the seven concepts AND the descriptions that go with them onto page 7 of your Science Notebook.
Page EIGHT in your Science Notebook is reserved for the eight SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES.
You can find the eight Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) on the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) website.
Copy down both the eight concepts AND the descriptions (you can paraphrase) that go with them onto page 8 of your Science Notebook.
Read the article, "What's in a Word?" by Renee Schwartz.
On the first open page in your ESS Notebook, create a heading for this entry in your notes. The heading should included both the name of the article and the date that you read the article.
In the next step, your are going to answer some prompts in your ESS Notebook. These are going to be "draft" answers. We will try to revise and improve your answers again later in another activity.
Remember, part of your role as scientist is to clearly communicate and explain your answers. One word answers, even one full sentence answers, don't always suffice.
This will be your first formal practice at writing good scientific responses - which are SEPs #7 (Engaging in Argument from Evidence) and #8 (Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information). You probably won't be very good at it on your first attempt. No one expects you to be very good at it right now. However, with practice, you will become better and better each time around.
. . . and we need to do a lot of practice before the assessment rolls around.
In general, for each prompt below, you should provide an answer that includes three basic elements:
A Claim
Some Evidence that supports your claim
And the Reasoning behind why you believe that particular piece of evidence supports that claim.
We usually abbreviate this type of response as a CER response.
The prompts below may have parenthetical comments after them. Those comments signify what type of challenge that prompt represents (i.e., CCCs, SEPs, or CER).
Again, do your best to write a solid scientific response (one that meets the rubrics for SEPs #7 and #8). We will review your work and try improve your work later in the lesson.
Answer these prompts about the article:
Who is the author? Not just the name of the author but WHO IS this person? (SEP #3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations)
According to the article, where do misconceptions about the nature of science and scientific inquiry primarily come from? (Claim, Evidence)
According to the article, what are dead words? (C, E)
According to the article, what are caution words? (C, E)
Explain the difference between experiment and investigation, according the the article. (C, E)
Explain the difference between data and evidence, according to the article. (C, E)
[Hidden]
Add this information to SCIENCE IS . . . / SCIENCE IS NOT . . . page of your ESS Notebook
(adapted from the work by Larry Flammer and the (former) Nature of Science site at Indiana University.)LIMITED TO THE NATURAL WORLD
OBSERVABLE
TESTABLE
MEASURABLE
REPEATABLE
MODIFIABLE
VERIFIABLE
BUILT UPON TESTABLE PREDICTIONS
BASED ON EXPERIMENTATION
OPEN TO CHANGE
BIASED
DISPROVABLE
OBJECTIVE
STRONG THEORIES INFERRED FROM SOLID EVIDENCE MADE STRONGER BY DIFFERENT LINES OF EVIDENCE
A SEARCH FOR UNDERSTANDING
BASED ON PROOF
RIGID
BASED ON BELIEF
BASED ON FAITH
BASED ON AUTHORITY
DECIDED BY DEBATE OR LAW
A SEARCH FOR TRUTH
CERTAIN
FAIR
ABLE TO SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS
A COLLECTION OF FACTS
DEMOCRATIC
ABSOLUTE
Your assessment for the first five activities will consist of the following:
Part 1: Online Multiple-Choice Test (Google Form)
Part 2: In Class Written Test
The link for the online portion of the exam will be active on the day of the test during class time only.
Take out your notebook and get it ready for the test. Yes, you MAY use your ESS Notebook to help you with BOTH parts of this assessment. (NOTE: You may only use your own ESS Notebook. You may not borrow someone else's notebook to use on the exam).
The link for Part 1 (online, multiple-choice) will become active TWO MINUTES after the tardy bell rings (on the day of the exam).
When you finish PART 1, you need to come up to the teacher's desk to get PART 2 (written portion).
Complete PART 2 at your desk.
When you finish PART 2, submit your completed test to the white box on the teacher desk.
Return to your seat and find something silent to do until everyone has completed BOTH parts of the exam.
You will have the entire period, if needed, to complete your exam.
Barring any other extenuating circumstances, make-ups must be made within FOUR school days of the exam.
Make-ups are usually conducted during Period 7, and/or after school (no lunch make-ups).
Contact your teacher to make arrangements for your make up exam.
NOTE #1: This lesson is adapted from ENSIWEB at Indiana University
NOTE #2: If you complete this assignment in a classroom, a worksheet will be provided. The forms below are the MAKE-UP assignment for anyone who misses the class activity.
NOTE #3: The surveys below are not open all the time. If you need a form unlocked to complete your make-up assignment, post a request in the QPL
From a list of items, how well can you identify which CAN be studied by science and which CANNOT be studied by science? Let's find out. Complete each of the forms below:
Complete the What Can Science Study? survey.
Science is the study of the Natural World (things we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear). Let's revisit some of the concepts from the What Can Science Study activity and try to figure out what senses we could use (if any) to study those topics.
Complete the What Senses Can I Use? survey.
That's all you have to do for now. Be ready to discuss the results (and your choices) at one of our upcoming live sessions.
Read through the What is Science? unit from the Understanding Science site at UC Berkeley.
This unit is integrated into a larger website with lots of other units so be sure to pay close attention to your page numbering on this site. The upper-right hand corner will show what page you are currently on.
For this activity, you are reading pages 1 - 13 of the "What is Science?" unit only.
When you are finished, do the following two activities:
Add the Science Checklist to the Science Checklist page of your Science Notebook.
Answer these questions from the WHAT IS SCIENCE reading activity. (NOTE: Form link will not be activated until it is time to complete this activity.)
Copy the How Science Works Flowchart onto the HOW SCIENCE WORKS page of your Science Notebook.
Watch the How Science Works YouTube video (see below) where you can see the How Science Works Flowchart in action.
Produced By: The Consortium for Ocean Leadership: a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that represents 95 of the leading public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria and industry with the mission to advance research, education and sound ocean policy.
Video Description: Explore the process of how real science works - using an example from an expedition to sea of the International Ocean Discovery Program.
Use the form below to answer some questions about your flowchart and the video from above:
How Science Works: Review Questions (NOTE: Form link will not be activated until it is time to complete this activity.)
In a moment, you are going to watch an It's Okay to be Smart video to help you understand some basic scientific terms. BEFORE you watch the video, complete the question(s) on the following form.
What's the difference between a Fact, Theory, Hypothesis, and Law? (note: if this form is closed (or not working), contact your teacher for access)
Produced by: It's Okay to be Smart | PBS Digital
Video Description: Some people try to attack things like evolution by natural selection and man-made climate change by saying “Oh, that’s just a THEORY!”
Yes, they are both theories. Stop saying it like it’s a bad thing! It’s time we learn the difference between a fact, a theory, a hypothesis, and a scientific law.
While the term FACT was used in the above video, that is one of the CAUTION words we try to shy away from in our science class. Instead of fact, we prefer the use of the following two terms in it's place:
DATA - The raw information, numbers, or calculations from our experiments/investigations.
EVIDENCE - How we assign meaning to the raw data // what the data show
On the same page as your SCIENCE CHECKLIST, add the following terms (and the appropriate definitions) to your notebook. I've already given you the definition for hypothesis. You will have to provide the rest.
Don't just search Google for these terms as you might not get the appropriate SCIENCE definition. Instead, use your resources from this unit . . . which means you may have to go back to some of your previous activities (like the What's in a Word article) to find some of your definitions.
Data
Evidence
Experiment
Investigation
Hypothesis - an uncertain explanation
Theory
Law
[Hidden]
Your final assessment for the What is Science? unit will consist of the following:
Part 1: Online Multiple-Choice Test (Google Form)
Part 2: In Class Written Test
The link for the online portion of the exam will be active on the day of the test during class time only.
Take out your notebook and get it ready for the test. Yes, you MAY use your ESS Notebook to help you with BOTH parts of this assessment. (NOTE: You may only use your own ESS Notebook. You may not borrow someone else's notebook to use on the exam).
The link for Part 1 (online, multiple-choice) will become active TWO MINUTES after the tardy bell rings (on the day of the exam).
When you finish PART 1, you need to come up to the teacher's desk to get PART 2 (written portion).
Complete PART 2 at your desk.
When you finish PART 2, submit your completed test to the white box on the teacher desk.
Return to your seat and find something silent to do until everyone has completed BOTH parts of the exam.
You will have the entire period, if needed, to complete your exam.
Barring any other extenuating circumstances, make-ups must be made within FOUR school days of the exam.
Make-ups are usually conducted during Period 7, and/or after school (no lunch make-ups).
Contact your teacher to make arrangements for your make up exam.
[Hidden]
The How Science Works interactive.