Table 3 Examples of each scientific practice type in the scientific sensemaking assessments
Scientific practice type | Example |
|---|---|
Generating scientific questions | Dr. Anita Perez wants to do a clinical trial to find out if a new pill that might cure lung cancer also makes people vomit. Which research question would best help her study this problem? |
Understanding nature of science | Scientists studying monkeys sometimes change their explanations. Why? |
Designing experiments | Mae is wondering which bald eagle in the zoo has the most tail feathers. What is the best evidence she could get to answer her question? |
Weighing potential mechanisms | Whose reasoning for why the eagle population increased is more scientific? |
Justifying/refuting arguments | Whose idea about how scientists proved eagles were killed by DDT is more scientific? |
Analyzing evidence | Which sections of the graph best show how hunting affected the eagle population? |
Understanding scientific models | Brian says monkeys that get at least 5 pounds of food have enough to sleep through the night. Which piece of evidence in the graph makes Brian think this is true? |