Lesson 3: Scientific Investigations: Types of Scientific Investigations

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Lesson 3 Scientific InvestigationsTypes of
Scientific Investigations

• INQB Design Investigations
• Content Standard Different kinds of questions
  suggest different kinds of scientific
  investigations.
• Performance Expectation Plan and conduct a
  scientific investigation (e.g., field study,
  systematic observation, controlled experiment,
  model, or simulation) that is appropriate for the
  question being asked.

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What do you know about investigations?

• There are many different ways of doing science.
  They dont all use the scientific method.

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Field Study

• When do the birds migrate to and from our local
  park?

• Definition

• A scientific study of free-living plants or
  animals in which the subjects are observed in
  their natural habitat without changing, harming,
  or altering the setting or subjects.

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Systematic Observation

• How do the weather patterns change in the Pacific
  Ocean throughout the year?

• Definition

• The skill of recognizing and noting some fact or
  event in the natural world.
• Observation includes the act of measuring.
• The observation is planned and organized.

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Controlled Experiment

• How does the amount of water affect how quickly a
  surface heats up?

• Definition

• A lab investigation in which the values of all
  variables are kept the same except for one that
  is changed from experiment to experiment
  (manipulated/independent variable) and one that
  is measured (responding/dependent variable).

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Model

• How can the relative positions of the Earth,
  Moon, and Sun explain different kinds of eclipses?

• Definition

• A simplified representation of a system.
• Models are useful for studying systems that are
  too big, too small, or too dangerous to study
  directly.

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Simulation

• How do you fly a spaceship in different
  situations before you really go to space?

• Definition

• The imitation of some real thing, situation, or
  process.
• Simulating something involves representing
  certain key characteristics or behaviors of a
  system.

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Check for Understanding (left side) Match each
question to the best type of investigation.

• Investigation Question

• Type of Investigation

• How does the type of surface affect how you
  operate a remotely operated vehicle on Mars?
• How does applying different forces to the Earth
  affect the type of landforms that are created?
• How does the temperature of the water affect how
  tall the tomato plant grows?
• How does the air pressure change with different
  types of weather?
• How does the distance from the lake affect the
  types of plants and animals we see?

1. Field Study
2. Systematic Observation
3. Controlled Experiment
4. Model
5. Simulation

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Check for Understanding (left side) Match each
question to the best type of investigation
Answers

• Investigation Question

• Type of Investigation

• How does the type of surface affect how you
  operate a remotely operated vehicle on Mars?
• How does applying different forces to the Earth
  affect the type of landforms that are created?
• How does the temperature of the water affect how
  tall the tomato plant grows?
• How does the time of the month affect the
  appearance of the moon?
• How does the distance from the lake affect the
  types of plants and animals we see?

• e) Simulation
• Model
• Controlled Experiment
• Systematic Observation
• a) Field Study

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Scientific Method

• List the steps of the scientific Method.

• Which types of science investigations use the
  scientific method and which dont?
• Answer on your own paper.

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HW (left side)gt Write a scientific question
How does _____ affect ______? gt Identify what
type of investigation would best answer the
question, and explain why.gt Then design the
investigation.