Inquiry
What is inquiry in science?
The process of asking and answering questions.
What is an observation?
Noticing something using your senses.
What is a hypothesis?
A testable guess based on observations.
What is an experiment?
A test to see if your hypothesis is correct.
What is data?
Information you collect during an experiment.
Name one subject that inquiry uses.
Math, reading, writing, or technology.
Name one of your five senses.
Sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.
Finish the sentence: A good hypothesis can be __________.
Tested.
What is a variable?
Something that can change in an experiment.
How do you collect data?
By making observations, measuring, and writing results down.
Why is reading important in inquiry?
It helps us learn what others have found out.
What sense would you use to hear a bird chirping?
Hearing.
Is this a hypothesis? “I think the plant is sick because it needs more water.”
Yes.
Why should you only change one variable at a time?
So you know what caused the result.
What is a conclusion?
A decision based on the data about whether your hypothesis was correct.
How does technology help scientists during inquiry?
It helps gather and analyze data more easily.
True or False: You can make an observation by using a thermometer.
True.
Why do scientists make a hypothesis before doing an experiment?
To have a testable idea to investigate.
Why might you repeat an experiment?
To make sure the results are reliable.
Why is it important to collect data carefully?
So you can trust the results and draw the right conclusion.
Name all four skills that help with inquiry.
Reading, math, writing, and technology.
Give an example of a scientific observation.
Student-created; e.g., “The plant’s leaves are turning yellow.”
What do you do if your hypothesis is wrong?
Revise it and try again.
Give an example of an experiment about plants.
Student-created; e.g., “Watering some plants but not others.”
If your data shows that water helps keep leaves green, what would your conclusion be?
That the hypothesis was correct—water helps the leaves stay green.