Chapter 4 Questions

1. According to the textbook an observation is the perception of an object or an event, using as many senses as possible. Inference is a reasonable explanation that we construct on the basis of our observations. Inferences sometimes lead us to set up further investigations. For example one can observe that the sky is gray and make an inference that it is going to rain.


2.There are six science process skills

• Observation
• Communication
• Classification
• Measurement
• Inference
• Prediction

An example would be using the process skills for the fuzzy caterpillars.  We can observe that for the season they are very fuzzy. Communication and observation go hand in hand, we usually associate color to other things like sky blue, or lemon yellow. The caterpillar is brown and black, probably to blend in with the dirt. We classify this creature as a caterpillar because of our background knowledge of the creature. Communication can go hand in hand with measurement as well, we compare the object to things. I would say the caterpillar is almost the size of my index finger. We can make an inference that the caterpillar's are very fuzzy because the winter will be cold. So my prediction based on the process skills I used would be, that based off the fuzziness and the size of the caterpillar, we are in for a very cold winter.


3. It is important to construct students in planning instead of just conducting because it allows the students to process the information. By planning, the students can formulate an idea and a plan of action that they want to follow. If a teacher jumps into just conducting an experiment the student has no time to process information about the experiment and goes into it blind sided.


4.If I had a video microscope in the classroom I would set up a plant station. I would have the students learn the structure and functions of a plant cell and its parts. The video would allow the students to see the cell system and how the different things within the system moves around the cell