Observation and Inquiry Concepts

See also experiment and science investigation inquiry unpacked

Primary

Concepts

1. Questions can be answered by watching objects.
2. People learn with careful observation.
3. People learn by observing interactions with objects.
4. Observations can be compared through communication of properties.
5. When people report different observations they can take more observations to try and find agreement.
6. Tools can be used to make better and more accurate observations (magnifiers).
7. Observations help collect information that can be used to answer questions.
8. Communication helps us explain evidence and reasoning to each other.

Intermediate

Concepts

1. Questions can be answered by organizing objects and or events to conduct a fair test and observe the results.
2. Recording observations helps remember specific information.
3. Observations are used to help make explanations.
4. When people disagree on explanations for an observation they usually make more observations to refine their explanations.
5. Observation, creativity, and logical argument are used to explain how things work

Middle School

Concepts

1. Questions can be created so that observations of objects and or events can be made by conducting a controlled experiment with observations being recorded as data.
2. The data can be transformed and analized by ordering, classifying, creating a model, and or logical explanation to lead to a conclusion related to the initial question.
3. If more than variable changes at a time, the outcome may not be attributed to one of the variables.
4. It may not be possible to identify or control all variables.
5. What people expect to observe often affects what they actually do observe.
6. Strong beliefs about what they expect to happen can prevent them from seeing other results.
7. Scientists try to avoid this by having different people conducting independent studies.
8. Unexpected observations can lead to new discoveries and to new investigations.
9. There are many kinds of signals in the world that are not detectable with human senses.