Board Approved – April 8, 2004

Science Grades 9-12 – High School Course Expectations

INQUIRY (Skills and Processes)

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INVESTIGATING SYSTEMS

Questioning

• Formulate and evaluate questions that can be answered through measurements and/or observations.

Planning and Conducting Safe Investigations

• Make predictions and give reasons (hypotheses) for the predictions.
• Design and conduct a complex scientific investigation using one or more controlled, manipulated (independent), and responding (dependent) variables.
• Select and use appropriate tools and available computer technology to gather data for the investigation.
• Identify and use appropriate units for the investigation.
• Differentiate and explain the difference between results and conclusions.
• Predict, measure, and explain the responding variables.
• Identify and describe possible sources of error in the investigation and suggest an improved design.
• Identify and explain safety requirements that would be needed in an investigation.

Explaining

• Formulate explanations supported by experimental variables (manipulated and responding), possible cause-effect relationships and data from the investigation.
• Evaluate evidence to determine the scientific validity of claims and explanations.
• Evaluate an investigation and suggest revisions to that investigation, including the types of data to be collected, in order to make the relationship between evidence and explanation clearer.
• Compare and contrast the results drawn from repeated or a number of related investigations.
• Evaluate whether the explanations support the hypothesis.
• Identify and describe ways to improve the quality of the investigation to obtain clearer results.
• Predict what reasonably might happen if the investigation lasted longer or was changed.

Modeling

• Identify a mathematical, technical and/or physical representation of an object, event, or process under investigation that gives insight about how it really works.
• Describe a specific example of a phenomenon and how to represent it.
• Describe how a model is chosen that fits the observations in an investigation.
• Evaluate a model in regards to its advantages and limitations.

Communicating

• Identify or explain a rationale used in conducting an investigation.
• Produce written and oral science reports and explanations that are coherent, logical, and scientifically accurate, and include appropriate science vocabulary and mathematical expressions.
• Identify or describe patterns found in results using words, numbers, symbols, graphics, and tables.
• Use the scientific information to support a position on a scientific issue (e.g. dangers of smoking, problems with nuclear power plants, need for widening riparian zones near streams and rivers).

NATURE OF SCIENCE

Intellectual Honesty

• Analyze and explain why curiosity, honesty, openness and skepticism are integral to scientific inquiry.
• Identify an appropriate response when results are inconsistent with established theories.
• Describe or identify an intellectually honest response to research results.
• Explain the necessity of scientists having ethical standards for recording, reporting, and communicating results.
• Explain why peer review is necessary in the scientific reporting process.
• Explain the necessity of documenting sources of information.

Limitations of Science and Technology

• Identify reasons for replicating the investigation of a question or phenomena.
• Identify an appropriate scientific response when given two competing theories (e.g. construct investigations to test competing explanations) for a question or phenomena.
• Identify what kind of evidence is needed to support a given hypothesis.
• Determine whether a conclusion logically follows from the results of a given investigation.
• Explain whether a given hypothesis is testable and why.
• Explain how a scientific investigation and design process can be affected by available technology, personal bias, funding issues, belief structures, politics, ethics and morality.

Evaluating Inconsistent Results

• Evaluate the overall quality of an investigation procedure, quality of the evidence, or soundness of reasoning when given an investigation, results and conclusions.
• Identify or explain why the results from a single investigation are not conclusive about a phenomenon.
• Identify an alternative explanation of the results.
• Identify or describe data that support an alternative explanation of the results of an investigation.
• Determine whether data support the conclusions of an investigation.
• Defend or refute explanations for an event or phenomena using evidence.
• Defend or refute how results can be affected by the experimental design and techniques, unexpected outside factors, or improper statistical analysis.

Evaluating Methods of Investigation

• Evaluate the appropriateness of tools used in the research of an investigation.
• Determine whether the design of the investigation was appropriate for the investigative question.
• Determine which design is most appropriate for a research question in an investigation.
• Critique the trustworthiness of results based upon how an experiment was done and its repeatability by others.

Evolution of Scientific Ideas

• Identify or explain why multiple tests are needed before accepting a scientific idea in an investigation.
• Identify and explain why scientific ideas are refined or replaced over time.
• Determine whether principles or laws are logically consistent.
• Determine whether principles or laws can be verified through empirical evidence.
• Explain why a more appropriate conclusion may occur in the results of an investigation when one is empirically verifiable and one makes a large leap in logic.
• Explain how inquiry, investigations and improved technology lead to better understanding of the natural world.
• Explain why science does not give absolute answers.