Unit 1: Scientific Methods August 26 - September 13 (14 days):
The purpose of unit one is to provide a motivating introduction to the topics, processes, and future of science in general. We start by looking at the major branches of science, the history of scientific discovery, and possible careers within each. Then we discuss and use the scientific method, experimental design, and lab report format. From there we spend some time looking at and getting our hands on basic laboratory tools, measurement tools (in metric units, of course), and conducting sample experiments. We also learn to decipher complicated scientific words by analyzing their Latin roots.