Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Florida Benchmarks
• SC.8.N.1.6 Understand that scientific
investigations involve the collection of relevant
empirical evidence, the use of logical reasoning,
and the application of imagination in devising
hypotheses, predictions, explanations and models
to make sense of the collected evidence.
• SC.8.N.2.1 Distinguish between scientific and
pseudoscientific ideas.
• SC.8.N.2.2 Discuss what characterizes science
and its methods.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Character Witness
What characterizes science?
• Science is the systematic study of natural events
and conditions.
• There are three main types of science: biology,
geology, and physical science.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• Life science, or biology, is the study of living
things.
• Earth science, or geology, is the study of the
surface and interior of Earth.
• Physical science is the study of energy and
nonliving matter. Physical science includes physics
and chemistry.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• All branches of science have some characteristics
in common.
• All kinds of scientists must share and discuss their
results with others.
• All scientific ideas must be testable and
reproducible.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• Scientific evidence must be observable by all
scientists. It must not be based on opinions or
feelings.
• Empirical evidence is observations,
measurements, and data that scientists gather to
support an explanation.
• Scientists commonly use tools to collect data.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
“Give me an explanation … ”
What is a scientific explanation?
• A scientific explanation provides reasons for how a
phenomenon occurs.
• Scientific explanations are based on empirical
evidence. Therefore, they can be tested.
• Science cannot test explanations involving
unsupported beliefs or opinions.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is a scientific explanation?
• Scientists often start developing an explanation by
examining all of the data and empirical evidence
they have.
• Then they think logically about the evidence and
develop a reasonable explanation.
• Other scientists test the explanation for
themselves.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is a scientific explanation?
• Scientific explanations must explain all available
evidence.
• If new evidence is discovered, it is compared to
the explanation.
• If the explanation cannot explain the new
evidence, the explanation may be modified.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is a scientific explanation
evaluated?
• First, study the empirical evidence. Decide if it
supports the explanation.
• Second, decide if the explanation is logical and
agrees with your other observations.
• Third, identify tests you can do to support the
idea.
• Finally, evaluate the explanation.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Common Habits
What is involved in scientific work?
• Science and the people who study it are diverse.
However, they have some characteristics in
common.
• When you show these characteristics, you are
thinking like a scientist.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is involved in scientific work?
• Scientists make careful observations. They may
use their senses or scientific tools to make
observations.
• Scientists are curious about the world and how it
works.
• Scientists are creative. They use their
imaginations to come up with explanations,
experiments, and solutions.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is involved in scientific work?
• Scientists are logical. They use evidence and
careful reasoning to develop explanations.
• Scientists are skeptical. They do not immediately
accept claims. Instead, they ask questions and
evaluate the claims.
• Scientists are objective. They set aside their
feelings and opinions when they evaluate ideas.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
“Space Aliens Built the Pyramids”
How is pseudoscience similar to and
different from science?
• Pseudoscience is beliefs or practices that are
mistakenly believed to be based on scientific
principles.
• Pseudoscience can look like science, but it is not
science.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and
different from science?
• Both science and pseudoscience can address
topics from the natural world.
• Pseudoscientific claims can sound logical. They
may use technical language or scientific-sounding
terms.
• Both science and pseudoscience claim to be
supported by empirical evidence.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and
different from science?
• Unlike science, pseudoscience does not use
accepted scientific methods.
• The evidence supporting pseudoscientific claims
may be vague, biased, or inaccurate.
• Pseudoscientific claims are often not testable.
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and
different from science?
• Pseudoscientists may say that any claim that has
not been proven false must be true. This is faulty
logic.
• Scientists offer evidence for their explanations. In
contrast, pseudoscientists often ask skeptics to
prove their claims false.
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