Nature of Science FCAT practice

Jane is investigating to find out if bean plants grow taller in ordinary topsoil or special potting soil over a three week period. She sets up her investigation with 10 bean plants of equal size in each type of soil. What should Jane do each day to make sure she gets valid results?

• Water only the plants in special potting soil.

• Calculate the average plant height for each soil type.

• Move the plants in ordinary topsoil to different locations

• Estimate the height of each plant's stem and record the estimate

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Sonya wanted to know if mowing affects the health of grass during a drought. To find out, she collected data on how often her neighbors mowed their grass. Based on the information she collected, what is the BEST next step?

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• Report her findings to her neighbors.

• Develop a plan to save everyone's lawns.

• Stop her neighbors from mowing their lawns.

• Find out if other things might be affecting the grass.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Thomas and Julie wanted to find out which material would insulate their teacher's coffee cup and keep the coffee hot for the longest period of time. They first wrapped her cup with bubble wrap and recorded the temperature of the coffee once every 15 minutes for 2 hours. They repeated the investigation, this time using newspaper instead of bubble wrap, but they got the same results for both materials. What could they do to make sure their results are valid?

• Repeat their experiment

• Use tea instead of coffee.

• Use a different thermometer.

• Conduct their investigation in a colder room

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Brianna's class wants to determine if boys or girls recycled more paper each day. They set up separate recycling bins in the classroom and labeled them "Boys" and "Girls." The students then placed their paper items in the right bins. Which of the following should the students do each day before emptying the bins?

• Make lists of the different types of paper in each bin

• Count and record the number of paper items recycled in each bin

• Make a list of which student recycled which paper item in each of the bins

• Record their estimate of the number of times students placed items in each bin

Kevin wanted to find out which of his toy cars, the Corvette or the Mustang, would roll downhill faster. He made a ramp by putting several books under one end of a board so that the board was slanted. Which would be the best way for him to perform his experiment?

• Roll each car down the ramp separately five times and estimate which car looked faster.

• Roll both cars down the ramp together one time and see which one gets to the bottom first.

• Roll each car down the ramp separately one time, and time them with the second hand on his watch.

• Roll both cars down the ramp together five times and record which gets to the bottom first each time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Jose wants to create an excellent science fair project for the school competition. In order for his project to be valid, which of the following must happen?

• The project must include his beliefs

• The results must be based on evidence

• The project must prove his predictions correct

• The results must be based on personal opinion

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following statements about science is true?

• Science always contains the opinions of the investigator.

• Science proves the predictions of scientists to be correct.

• Science is based on observation or measurement that answers a question.

• Science answers all questions using strict rules called the scientific method.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-1

Which of the following is the main purpose of a scientific investigation?

• to prove a scientific law

• to determine the investigator's opinion

• to answer questions about the natural world

• to support results from previous investigations

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Which of the following should be a goal of a scientific investigation?

• to help the scientist make money

• to make sure the scientist is correct

• to help the scientist solve a problem

• to make sure other scientists are incorrect

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

) Ellie conducts an investigation to determine if size or weight affect how fast objects fall. Her investigation includes repeatedly dropping a basketball and a golf ball at the same time. After many trials, she determines that both balls land at the exact same time. Why would Ellie's investigation be valid?

• It includes her opinion

• It is based on evidence

• It uses objects that move

• It proves her predictions are correct

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2