Course Name:Earth Science
Semester:A
Unit Number:1
Section Number: 2
PAGE / CONTENT / TECHNICAL ELEMENTS (Tutorials, avatars, images/graphics, audio, etc.)1 / Earth Science: Introduction
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Welcome! This unit is divided into three sections. Each section contains material that builds upon material presented in the previous sections. It is very important that you work consistently and in order as you begin to build upon the skills learned in the previous units in Earth Science.
Course Symbols
As you work through this course, we would like to help you organize the course components so that it will be easier for you to know what to do and when. Use the following icons as clues to what kind of activity is coming up throughout the duration of the unit, and don’t forget to have fun!!
Insert link to Course Symbols> / Intro graphic – use image of Earth similar to
Intro graphic alt tag – Earth
Intro graphic title – Earth Science: Introduction
2 / Section Objectives
After you have completed this unit, you will be able to:
- List steps commonly used in the scientific method.
- Compare and contrast scientific theories with scientific laws.
- Examine the advantages of using models to demonstrate processes and outcomes.
- Analyze, evaluate and predict trends from data.
- Analyze, review and critique hypothesis using scientific evidence.
- Conduct a multiple step experiment.
3 / Section Assignments
In this section you will complete the following graded assignments:
- Scientific Method Discussion 20 points
- The Naked Egg Lab 25 points
- Scientific Method: Investigating Science Section Quiz 10 points
4 / Section Warm-Up
[insert section warm up description and activity]
5 / Scientific Methods: Investigating Science
Scientific investigations help you understand the world and universe. No matter what you do, you will always be solving problems your entire life, whether you are a scientist, an artist, or a professional wrestler. From birth on, children are always exploring, observing, asking questions, and experimenting so that they can understand the world around them.We all havequestions about the worldwe live in and we all solve problems every day, from simple to complex investigations. For example, you may wake up in the morning and wonder what you will wear to school. This is a problem that needs to be solved. There are many ways to solve this problem. You may check the weather outside to see if it will be hot or cold, or sunny or rainy. Then, you may go to your closet and choose clothing that will allow you to be comfortable in your environment. There may be other factors affecting your decision, such as if there is a special event at school that day or if you are giving a presentation and need to dress more formally. l. You solve problems everyday, whether you realize it or not!
<insert image 1.2.5> / Image 1.2.5 – insert image of scientist
Image alt tag – Scientist
Image caption – A scientist at work
Image placement/details description – Right aligned with text wrap
6 / Models
Scientists learn new information about our world by conducting scientific investigations using a variety of strategies. There is not just one way to solve a problem, or one single set of rules to use. Problems can be investigated using any logical plan and many different methods. Scientists may investigate something by setting up a complex laboratory investigation where they manipulate items to see how they react to a range of stimuli. They may build a model to simulate an event, such as the virtual driving simulator in the photo. Sometimes events are too big or dangerous to actually create, so models can be used to represent the event. Something like a hurricane, an explosion or the solar system might be best viewed through a computer simulation. Scientists often use computer models to predict weather or how buildings will react to earthquakes. The best way to investigate a problem is to simply observe a naturally occurring phenomenon and record the observations. The scientist may even use both methods to investigate the same thing from different perspectives. These investigations often follow a general set of step-by-step procedures called the Scientific Method. Learning to use scientific methods will help you solve ordinary problems in your life and to answer questions.
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<insert interactive question> / Image 1.2.6 – insert image of virtual driving simulator
Image alt tag – Driving simulator
Image caption – How is this virtual driving simulator is different from driving an actual car?
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<insert interactive question>
Why would computers be useful for modeling earthquakes?
interactive answer
Direct observations are best, but earthquakes are a dangerous situation. You can simulate the damage done to a building rather than needing to see the results first hand. It might be best to be far away from falling walls or ceilings!
7 / Scientific Method
The steps in the scientific method include stating the problem, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, analyzing the data, and drawing conclusions. Let’s suppose you have a garden growing in your backyard and every morning you go outside and notice that there are plants missing from your garden and some mysterious droppings on the ground. The first step of the scientific method is to state the problem, which involves asking a question about how or why something happens. You have identified the problem of missing plants and now may ask a question, such as “why are my plants disappearing?”
<insert image 1.2.7> / Image 1.2.7 – insert image/graphic of the steps of the scientific method
Image alt tag – Steps of the scientific method
Image caption – The steps of the scientific method are shown here.
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8 / Research and Hypothesis
After stating the problem,a scientistwould gather as much information as possible by doing laboratory investigations, using computer models to simulate activities, or by observing in the natural environment. It is helpful to research the problem and see if others have studied the same question and what they found. You may ask your neighbors about their gardens, investigate mysterious plant theft on the internet, or observe your garden over a period of a few days.
Based on the information you gathered, you will form a hypothesis, which is a statement intended to explain a problem that can be tested. The hypothesis that you may come up with is that an animal is eating the plants in your garden. How can you be sure that’s what is causing the disappearance? That’s easy – you will test your hypothesis by performing an experiment.
<insert image 1.2.8> / Image 1.2.8 –
Image alt tag – Aardappel Doré Phytophthora
Image caption – Aardappel Doré Phytophthora
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9 / Experiment
In an experiment, the hypothesis is tested by examining the effects of a variable by using controlled conditions. A variable is a factor in an experiment that can be changed. For this experiment, you decide to build a fence around half of your garden. Over the period of a week, you will observe both gardens to see if there is a difference. As you do your experiment, you will record everything that happens, including all measurements and observations. The two types of variables in an experiment are the independent and dependent variables, which allow you to come to conclusions in your experiment. The fence you have built is the independent variable. How the garden changes over the week will be the dependent variable.
<insert image 1.2.9> / Image 1.2.9 –
Image alt tag – Garden on a farm.
Image caption – Garden on a farm.
Image placement/details description – Right aligned with text wrap
10 / Variables – In Depth
The independent variable is the variable that is changed by the experimenter and the dependent variables are changes that occur because of the independent variable. Imagine you wanted to go to the mall on a Friday night but needed money from your parents. If they gave you $10, what could you do? You would have to choose between getting something to eat and going to the movies. But what if you were given $100 dollars? Not only could you go to the movies and get something to eat, you could even buy a CD. Here, the amount of money is the independent variable (it is determined by your parents). What you can do for the evening is dependent upon how much money you have to spend – making the evening the dependent variable.
<insert image 1.2.10> / Image 1.2.10 –
Image alt tag – Large pile of money.
Image caption – There are a lot of dependent variables that could result from this independent variable.
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11 / Controls
Sometimes your experiment may need a control group – a standard for comparison to judge the results of the experiment. The control group receives no treatment so you can see the effects of your independent variable. Let’s say you want to test 2 fertilizers to see which will make grass grow better.
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<insert interactive question>
<insert interactive question>
<insert interactive question> / Image 1.2.11 – insert image of fertilizer
Image alt tag – Fertilizer
Image caption – How do you determine which fertilizer grows better?
Image placement/details description – Right aligned with text wrap
<interactive question>
What is the independent variable?
interactive answer
The fertilizers. You are choosing to study their effects.
<interactive question>
What is the dependent variable?
interactive answer
The growth of the grass. It depends upon the fertilizer.
You need to have a starting group of grass with no fertilizer. You would take measurements of how it grows – that would be a control group. Then you would have the experimental groups where you try out the different fertilizers and compare the results to the control group’s growth. That way, you could see which fertilizer caused the grass to grow more compared to no fertilizer at all.
Control Group (No Fertilizer) / Fertilizer A / Fertilizer B
Growth / 5 cm / 8 cm / 6 cm
<interactive question>
Which would be the best fertilizer?
interactive answer
Fertilizer A. It caused the most growth compared to the control group.
12 / Data and Conclusions
Now back to our missing plants. After you finish the experiment and you have recorded your observations, you are now ready to analyze your data. It is often helpful to organize your data into charts and graphs so that it is easier to read and interpret. You notice that the garden surrounded by the fence is intact with no additional missing plants, but the open garden has missing plants and droppings.
Finally, you will draw conclusions about your experiment, based on the analysis of your data and observations, and decide whether your hypothesis is supported or not. Did your results support your hypothesis? If the experiment does not support the hypothesis, it would require revision of the hypothesis and further testing. In order for the hypothesis to be considered valid, you must be able to repeat the same experiment many times and come up with the same exact results. Based on the results of your experiment, you decide that your hypothesis is supported and that animals are eating your garden and leaving behind some droppings.
<insert image 1.2.12> / Image 1.2.12 – insert image of garden with fence
Image alt tag – Fenced garden
Image caption – The fence might factor into your analysis.
Image placement/details description – Right aligned with text wrap
13 / Tutorial: Scientific Method
In this tutorial you will learn more about the how the scientific method works. Press start to begin.
<insert ESA_1.2_tutorial.doc>
14 / Discussion: Scientific Method 20 points
As discussed in this section, the scientific method is used to solve everyday problems in our lives. Consider a time in your life when you had questions about a real world situation and discuss how you may have used the steps in the scientific method to solve the problem. Describe what you did in each step and how it helped you to solve the problem. Comment on some of the entries of your classmates. Refer to the discussion rubric for guidance.
Please post your response to the [insert discussion title here] Discussion.
15 / Theories and Laws
What happens after scientists complete an experiment several times and always come up with the same results? After results are reported that support a scientist's hypothesis, they can be used to suggest a scientific theory, which is an explanation devised to explain facts or events based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations. If the investigation is repeated and the results always support the hypothesis, it can be called a theory. Modern science is based on theories that explain how things work.
It is important to know that just because something is a theory doesn’t mean that the theory is true. A theory may be tested thousands of times in many different ways and the results are always identical, but it can never be proven to be true. Theories can change over time because it only takes one experiment that does not support the hypothesis to consider it false. Does that mean that the scientists did the experiment wrong every time? No, it’s just that we discover new facts and create new inventions that make it easier for us to study the world around us. Theories can be modified as new information becomes available. The theory that the Earth was flat was disproved years ago by studies finding that the Earth is actually spherical in shape. Although the originaltheory was believed by people before the age of exploration, as technological advances were made, new evidence was discovered which caused the theory to be disproved.
Laws are considered fact – true and universal – like the law of gravity. There could be a new discovery for why objects fall to the ground, but essentially, the law of gravity will be the ultimate description possible. Laws typically describe what is observed while a theory will explain it.
<insert image 1.2.15> / Image 1.2.15 – insert image of old map of flat Earth
Image alt tag – Map of Earth as being flat.
Image caption – We once thought the Earth was Flat.
Image placement/details description – Right aligned with text wrap
16 / Lab: The Naked Egg 25 points
Lab Safety
When conducting an experiment, there are certain rules that should be followed to avoid injury. Often these are specific to laboratory work, but they can be applied in any situation. Some of the common safety rules include:
- Use common sense and follow all procedures. Do not perform any action that is not called for in the instructions. Know how to properly use equipment and read all labels on chemicals.
- Always wear eye protection and aprons. Boiling water, chemical spills, and broken glass are all equally dangerous. Even using a saw to cut wood can be dangerous.
- Have proper safety equipment – first aid kit, rinse station, fire extinguisher, fire alarms, etc.
- Immediately notify the proper person of any accident.
- Do not smell chemicals directly. Never taste anything unless directed to do so.
- Dispose of chemicals, broken glass or equipment properly.
- Never leave materials unattended while they are heating. Do not lean over open flames.
<insert image 1.2.16> / Image 1.2.16 –
Image alt tag – Poison Warning
Image caption – Poison Warning
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17 / Flashcards Activity
Use the flashcards below to practice the newly learned vocabulary. Flip the card to check the definition by clicking on the card. Note thatthe play button on the second side allows you to hear the word pronounced. Continue practicing this until you are comfortable with all of the words.
<insert flashcard activity> / Steps of the scientific method / Determine the problem, gather information, form a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, analyze the data, and draw conclusions
Variable / A factor in an experiment that can be changed.
Hypothesis / A statement intended to explain the problem.
Theory / An explanation devised to explain facts or events based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations.
Law / A statement about how things work in our world that seems to be true every time.
18 / Scientific Methods: Investigating ScienceSection Quiz10 points
Congratulations on completing this section! In this section you learned about:
- Models
- Scientific Method
- Research and Hypothesis
- Experiment
- Variables
- Controls
- Data and Conclusions
- Theories and Laws