Scientific Practices and Variables

1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems. Which of the following best demonstrates asking a scientific question?

• A. A student designs a 3-D diagram of a solar system.

• B. A student asks, “What effect does fertilizer have on plant growth?”

• C. A student explains why the moon has phases.

• D. A student records the temperature each day for a week.

Which is an example of developing and using a model?

• Creating a diagram of the water cycle to show evaporation and condensation.

• Measuring how fast salt dissolves in hot water.

• Asking why leaves turn red in the fall.

• Comparing the growth of two plants in different soils.

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. Which scenario shows this practice?

• Drawing a diagram of how energy flows in a food chain.

• Setting up two identical plants, one with sunlight and one in the dark, to test how light affects growth.

• Explaining why the sky looks blue.

• Using data tables to show rainfall patterns.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Which of the following is an example of analyzing and interpreting data?

• Asking why the toy cars move at different speeds.

• Designing a new track for the toy cars.

• Drawing a picture of how cars move.

• Making a bar graph of how far toy cars rolled on different surfaces.

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking. Which of these examples shows the use of mathematics in science?

• Asking, “Why do some plants grow faster than others?”

• Building a clay model of a volcano.

• Measuring the height of plants in centimeters and calculating the average growth rate.

• Watching a video about photosynthesis.

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. Which choice illustrates this practice?

• Developing a paragraph that expresses that earthquakes happen because of movement along tectonic plate boundaries.

• Drawing a picture of a volcano erupting.

• Asking, “How do volcanoes form?”

• Measuring how long a candle burns.

Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Which of the following best represents engaging in argument from evidence?

• A. A student claims one type of soil is best for plant growth and supports it with data from an experiment.

• B. A student creates a model of a flower.

• C. A student records the number of leaves on each plant.

• D. A student watches a time-lapse video of a seed sprouting.

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Which is the best example of this practice?

• Measuring the temperature outside each day.

• Reading an article about climate change, taking notes on what is important, and presenting the information in a class report.

• Asking, “Why do some days feel hotter than others?”

• Drawing a diagram of the greenhouse effect.

Kelly wants to see if the type of liquid she uses to water plants impacts their growth. She uses water, juice, and soda to treat each plant and over 2 weeks, she measures how tall they grow. She keeps the amount of sunlight the same each day and they remain in the same soil for the duration of her study. Which of the following is an independent variable?

• The type of liquid (water, juice, soda) used to water plants.

• The height of the plants after two weeks.

• The amount of sunlight each plant receives.

• The soil type used for each plant.

In an experiment testing how different amounts of fertilizer affect tomato plant growth, what is the dependent variable?

• The number of tomato plants in the experiment.

• The amount of fertilizer given to each plant.

• The growth (height) of the tomato plants.

• The amount of water each plant receives.