SEP-1 

Source: NSTA

Objectives

• • Middle School

    • Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables and clarifying arguments and models.

      • • Ask questions that require sufficient and appropriate empirical evidence to answer.

        • Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, models, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

        • Ask questions to identify and/or clarify evidence and/or the premise(s) of an argument.

        • Ask questions to determine relationships between independent and dependent variables and relationships in models.

        • Ask questions to clarify and/or refine a model, an explanation, or an engineering problem.

        • Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles.

        • Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions.

        • Ask questions that challenge the premise(s) of an argument or the interpretation of a data set.

    • High School (9-12)

    • Asking questions and defining problems in 9–12 builds on grades K–8 experiences and progresses to formulating, refining, and evaluating empirically testable questions and design problems using models and simulations.

      • • Observation -Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

          • • Phenomena

            • Faraday's Candle

        • Clarification - Ask questions that arise from examining models or a theory, to clarify and/or seek additional information and relationships.

        • IV and DV - Ask questions to determine relationships, including quantitative relationships, between independent and dependent variables.

          • • Fires & firefighters

        • Refining - Ask questions to clarify and refine a model, an explanation, or an engineering problem.

        • Testable - Evaluate a question to determine if it is testable and relevant.

        • Practical - Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the school laboratory, research facilities, or field (e.g., outdoor environment) with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on a model or theory.

          • • Developing Research Questions

        • Challenge - Ask and/or evaluate questions that challenge the premise(s) of an argument, the interpretation of a data set, or the suitability of the design.

          • • Shoe size and vocabulary size

            • Spurious correlations

Videos

• • Asking Questions & Defining Problems - Bozeman Science (Paul Anderson)

CSCS Activities

• Developing Research Questions

• Faraday's Candle