Integrated Science Process Skills

Skill Definition Being able to identify variables (recognizing the characteristics of objects or factors in events) that are constant or change under different conditions, AND that can affect an experimental outcome keeping most constant while manipulating only one (the independent) variable. Example

Identifying and Controlling Variables

Listing or describing the factors that are thought to, or would, influence the rate at which an ice cube melts in air or water

Stating how to measure a variable in an experiment, defining the Defining variable according to the actions or Operationally operations to be performed on or with it

Stating that bean growth will be defined as the amount of change in height as measured from the top of the soil to the tip of the longest stem in centimeters per week

Formulating Hypotheses

Making a statement to be used as the basis for an experiment; "if one Stating or constructing a statement, ice cube is placed in cool water and that is tentative or testable, about an identical cube is placed in warm what is thought to be the expected water, then the cube in the warmer outcome of an experiment (based water will melt first, or the greater the on reasoning amount of organic matter added to the soil, the greater the amount the bean growth Collecting bits of information about objects and events that illustrate a specific situation; organizing and analyzing data that have been obtained and drawing conclusions from it by determining apparent patterns or relationships in the data Recording data from an experiment and forming a conclusion that relates trends in data to variables; studying a graph of data collected relating variables and determining a relationship between the variables

Recording and Interpreting

Being able to conduct an experiment, including asking an appropriate question, stating an hypothesis, identifying and controlling variables, operationally Experimenting defining those variables, designing a "fair" experiment, conducting the experiment, and interpreting the results of an experiment

The entire process of conducting an experiment to determine the relation between soil conditions and plant growth, population and pollution, etc

Formulating Models

Drawing a diagram; producing a picture that illustrates information Creating a mental or physical model about ice cube melting; writing to of a process, object or event describe how the process of evaporation and condensation inter-

relate in the water cycle, illustrating by analogy Identifying alternative ways to store ice cuvbes to avoid causing them to Identifying alternatives and melt; analyzing the consequences of choosing a course of action from each alternative such as the cost, the among the alternatives after basing effect on other people or on the the judgement for the selection on environment; using justifiable justifiable reasons reasons as the basis for making the decision; choosing freely from the alternatives

Making Decisions