Intro to 8th Grade Earth Science
Lesson 1
Introduction To Earth Science
What Is Science ?
•
A way of learning about the natural world
•
Includes all the knowledge gained from exploring the natural world
What skills do scientists use to learn about the world?
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Observing
Using one or more of your senses to gather information
Inferring
Interpreting the things you observe
Predicting
Making a forecast of what will happen based on evidence or past experience
What attitudes are helpful to scientists?
Curiosity
Honesty
Open-mindedness
Skepticism
Creativity
Patience
Skills of a Scientist:
Observe
(use senses)
Infer
(Consider what you have observed and what your prior experience and knowledge is
about the topic)
Predict
(When you tell what will happen based on your observations and inferences you may
have drawn)
Y
Dependent
Or Responding
Variable
(Changes
due to what
you have
done)
X
Independent or Manipulated Variable
(It’s the thing you change in the experiment)
What is Scientific Inquiry ?
 Refers to the many ways in which
scientists study the natural world and propose
explanations based on evidence they gather
 Often begins with a problem or questions
about an observation
 A means of testing a hypothesis
 A method for explaining the difference
between a scientific theory and a scientific law
The Scientific Method:
 Observation or question
• Research
• Forming a hypothesis
• Designing an experiment
• Recording data
• Repeating the procedure
Hypothesis



A possible explanation for a set of observations or answers to a scientific question
Must be testable
May be revised or scrapped based on results
Experiment
•
Designed to test a specific hypothesis
•
Must contain variables (factors that can be changed)
•
Independent (manipulated) variable is purposely changed to test the hypothesis
•
Dependent (responding) variable may change in response to the independent variable
•
An experiment where only one variable is manipulated at a time is called a controlled
experiment
Data
•
Facts, figures and other evidence gathered through observation
•
After gathering and interpreting data, scientists draw conclusions about their hypothesis
•
Scientists then communicate their results
How do scientific theories differ from scientific laws?
Scientific Theory
A well-tested explanation for a wide range
of observations or experimental results
Scientific Law
A statement that describes what scientists
expect to happen every time under a
particular set of conditions
A scientific law describes an observed pattern in nature
without attempting to explain it.
Intermediate Science
Lesson 2
Review: Scientific Inquiry
Introduce: The Study of Earth Science
Earth Science:
A body of knowledge about Earth and its place in the universe
Earth scientists use several main ideas to guide their work:
1. The structure of the Earth system
2. Earth’s history
3. Earth as part of the solar system
The Earth system is made up of:
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Lithosphere
Earth’s solid, rocky outer layer
Hydrosphere
Earth’s oceans, lakes rivers and ice
Atmosphere
Mixture of gases that surround Earth
Biosphere
Includes all Earth’s living things
Earth’s History
Two main forces have changed Earth’s
surface throughout history:
1. Constructive Forces
Build up mountains and
landmasses
2. Destructive Forces
Slowly wear away mountains and
every other feature on Earth’s surface
Branches of Earth Science
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Geology is the study of the forces that have shaped the Earth throughout its long history
Oceanography is the study of everything from the chemistry of ocean water to the
shape of the ocean floor to the living things in the ocean’s depths
Meteorology is the study of information gathered about conditions in the atmosphere
around the world
Astronomy is the study of the solar system , stars, galaxies, and the history of the
universe
Environmental Science is the study of Earth’s environment and resources
Use of Models
Earth scientists often use models to represent complex objects or processes:
physical-globe
mechanical-robotic
scale-map
graphic-coordinate plane
mathematical-formula
computer simulation