You Got Skills Science Process Skills What are
- Slides: 9
You Got Skills? Science Process Skills
What are process skills? • Just like a baseball player, a scientist must have certain skills to do her job. • These skills include: – Making observations – Making inferences – Measuring – Conducting controlled experiments
Making Observations • An observation is the gathering of information using our 5 senses: – Sight – Smell – Hearing – Taste – Touch You. Tube - Test Your Awareness: Do The Test
Two Types of Observations • Qualitative observations describe what we observe. Example: The flower has white petals. Example: Mr. D has green eyes.
Two Types of Observations • Quantitative observations measure what we observe. Example: The flower has seven petals. Example: Mr. D has two eyes.
Which is better? • Both types of observations are valuable in science and can be used. It just depends on what you are observing. • If you are describing the smell of a flower, it would be difficult to measure that in any way.
Making Inferences • Inferences are an explanation of an observation you made. • They are based on your past experiences and prior knowledge.
Making Inferences Example Observation: The grass on the school’s lawn is wet. Possible inferences: – It rained. – The sprinkler was on. – There is dew on the grass. – A dog urinated on the grass.
Try These Observation: The school’s fire alarm is going off. Possible inferences? Observation: A student is called to the office. Possible inferences?
