Nature of Science

Ricardo came up with three different designs for paper airplanes. He would like to find out which design flies the farthest. Ricardo plans to fly each paper airplane five times. Wha step should Ricardo take after he flies each plane?

• Weigh the plane using a balance

• Record the color of the plane

• Estimate which plane will fly the farthest

• Measure the distance that the plane flew and record it

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

A scientist set up containers to collect water in three spots around town. He wanted to find out how much rain falls in each area. What should the scientist record when looking at each container?

• The amount of rainwater in each container

• The number of organisms present in each container

• The color of the rainwater in each container

• The temperature of the rainwater in each container

The table below shows the vitamin C content in some common fruits and vegetables. Which conclusion is best supported by the data in the table?

• Broccoli has more vitamin C per serving than kiwi.

• A tomato has the least vitamin C per serving.

• Mango has more vitamin C per serving than kiwi and broccoli combined.

• Mango has the least vitamin C per serving.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Scientists want to determine whether watching television affects a child's ability to learn to read. The experimental group watches television for 2 hours a day. What should the control group do?

• Watch television 2 hours a day

• Watch no television

• Watch television whenever they want

• Watch more than 2 hours of television a day

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

A team of students wants to find out what time of day squirrels in a forest are most active. They observe squirrels in a forest for five days. They record the period of time of any squirrel activity they see and describe the details of that activity. This investigation is not an experiment. Why?

• It does not have a set research goal.

• There are no variables being controlled.

• There are no measurements being taken.

• It is carried out over a long period of time.

As part of an experiment, Jenna measured the mass of a red cube. Which best describes why she should record her experimental procedure?

• The exact experiment can be repeated by others, and the results can be compared.

• The data will help others to find other properties of the red block.

• By writing down her procedure, she does not have to tell anyone about her experiment.

• Others can change the experiment to get different results.

Kristine observed that a cypress tree in her backyard produced knobby woody structures called "knees". She wanted to find out how the tree used its knees. She wrote a few notes on the knees to show her teacher. Which of her notes is a personal opinion?

• The knees are the same color as the tree trunk.

• The knees do not have any leaves on them.

• The knees are in muddy soil.

• The knees are really cool because they are round.

Mr. Howell's fifth grade is making homemade lava lamps. Each student is given the same materials: one clean, clear 600 ml soda bottle with a plastic cap; two fizzy antacid tablets; food coloring; 100ml of vegetable oil; and 500ml of water. They follow a set of specific instructions and record their results in their science notebooks. What makes this a replicable, or repeatable experiment.

• Every student received a set of instructions

• All students recorded the steps in a science notebook.

• Everyone in the class is making his or her own lava lamp.

• The materials were measured out and added in the order listed in the instructions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Josh is doing an experiment to find out how different amounts of water affect the growth of bean plants. He waters the plants every Monday and Friday, measuring the amount of water carefully. He measures the change in plant height every Friday. What conclusion can you draw from the observations Josh recorded in his data table?

• Plants 1, 2, and 3 showed successful growth.

• Plant 2 and 3 will produce nearly the same number of beans.

• Plant 3 received an amount of water that encouraged rapid growth.

• Plant 4 should have grown the most, there was a problem with the seed.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Mei is studying birds. She studied the beaks of the two birds in the picture. Mei predicted that the bird on the left would eat mainly seeds. Which of the following is the best way to test her prediction?

• Measure the exact size of both beaks.

• Plan an experiment to test if all birds eat seeds.

• Observe the birds in the wild to see what they eat.

• Ask other students if they agree with her prediction.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4