Scientific Investigations
DTE 2015
Agenda
- Types of Investigations
- Looking at the TEKS
- Managing Materials
- Managing Students
- Managing Sutdents with Materials
Types of Investigations
- Descriptive Investigations
- Comparative Investigations
- Experimental Investigations
Descriptive Investigations
- collecting data to draw conclusions about a natural or man-made systems
- include a question, but no hypothesis
- no comparisons are made
- no variables
- Examples include dissections, models, and surveys.
Comparative Investigations
- collecting data about different organisms, objects, or events or collecting data under different conditions
- include a question, hypothesis, independent variable, and dependent variable
- no controlled variable
- Examples include comparing the growth of two plants in different locations, recording how different animals adapt to changes in weather, and determining which city in Texas had the most rainfall during the month of July.
Experimental Investigations
- fair tests
- include a question, hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variable
- Examples include determining the best type of fertilizer to use when growing plants, what type of cleaner works best to get out a ketchup stain, and what type of fruit can be added to a bag to keep bread from molding.