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Observations. Didn’t we learn about this already?. Think about what it means to observe. Discuss this at your table. Do you remember HOW we make observations?. http://sunbaby26.tripod.com/id52.html. An observation is using your five senses to collect information about natural phenomena.
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Didn’t we learn about this already? • Think about what it means to observe. • Discuss this at your table. • Do you remember HOW we make observations? http://sunbaby26.tripod.com/id52.html
An observation is using your five senses to collect information about natural phenomena.
What do you know about Jelly Belly jelly beans? • Here’s what I found out: • There are more than 34 million pounds of Jelly Belly jelly beans made each year. • The company was founded in 1898. • There are 50 official flavors. • They are very yummy. • They are very expensive. • So…the jelly beans you will be using today are not real Jelly Bellies…sorry…they’re still yummy, though!
How can you tell what flavor it is? • You may use your senses to make observations… • Four of them, anyway: • Touch • Smell • Hearing • Sight • Quietly record your observations using pictures and words. • DON’T make predictions about what flavor you think it is.
Scientists don't taste… • Sorry guys! • You were GREAT sports in all of this.
…unless they’re studying FOOD science! • Taste your jelly bean. • Silently record your observations. • Discuss. • Okay, I’ll let you share what flavor you think your jelly bean is. • Too bad I like to leave you hanging without giving you the answer!
How do scientists make observations? • Very carefully • They use their senses • Paying close attention to details • Recording what they observe • Descriptions • Sketches • Data
Do scientists observe things differently from the rest of us? • Both yes and no • They make observations using their senses just like we do. • The difference is that they may know what to expect to find in their observations and this may influence what kinds of things they notice.
Think of it this way: • When a doctor looks at an x-ray, he or she can often see things we can’t see. • That’s because they know what to look for. Source: http://www.bigoo.ws/myspace-layouts/film-cartoon/homer-simpson-brain-x-ray-225880.htm
What happens when… • Scientists are observing something too small to be seen? • Or what happens if they’re observing something that’s enormous in size but extremely far away? Source: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-spacecraft.html
Tools of the Trade Scanning Electron Microscope Mass Spectrometer Seismograph Source: http://www.directindustry.com/prod/omicron/scanning-electron-microscope-sem-20757-47976.html Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinemetrics_seismograph.jpg Source: http://www.sysbio.org/capabilities/proteomics/massspec.stm
This may come as a surprise • Humans make mistakes. • Scientists are humans. • It makes sense that scientists might make mistakes, too. • How do scientists minimize the number of mistakes they make? Source: ttp://www.voidspace.org.uk/gallery/silly/html/Oops.html
Scientists like to be accurate • They design their experiments carefully. • They use sophisticated instruments to take precise measurements. • They repeat their experiments. • They repeat their experiments. • They repeat their experiments. • The more data they collect, the better.
How do scientists use their observations? • They test their scientific claims. • It’s the evidence that backs their claims. • With enough evidence, a claim might become accepted by the scientific community. Source: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2008/10/nobel-prize-in-physics-awarded-for-broken-symmetry-research.ars
What if the observations DON’T back a scientist’s claim? • The claim will be rejected by the scientific community. • The claim will be modified. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7959183.stm
Change is at the heart of science—nothing is proven to the extent that there is no possibility for future modification as new data and interpretations become available.
Even scientific “facts” should be viewed as confirmed rather than proven.
What does observation mean in science? • An observation is what you see, feel, hear, taste, or touch. • Scientists use observations to describe what they experience. • Scientists make and record observations with care. • Scientists often use tools to enhance their observations. • Scientists test their ideas against their observations.
Science Is: A body of knowledge Definition of observation Examples of scientific observations A set of methods or processes Making observations Recording observations Using observations to justify conclusions Using tools to enhance observations A way of knowing Scientific knowledge is partly based on observation. Observations are used to test scientific ideas. Scientists use technology to enhance/extend their observations.
References • Bell, Randy. Teaching the Nature of Science through Process Skills: Activities for Grades 3 – 8 (2008). Pearson Education, Inc. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_Belly