Boundary Breaker: Make an inference about what the object is and how it came to be in our classroom.
We used our Morphic Thinking this morning to lead us into some discussion and activities highlighting the difference between observations and inferences in science. Students learned the observations are made with the five senses and simply describe. We classified our observations as qualitative or quantitative and defined each term. Then we looked at inferences as connections your brain makes when you mix your observations with prior knowledge. Inferences are theories explaining the world around you. We used several prompts and images to practice distinguishing between the two.
Next we started our investigation of the use of models in discovery. We read the article, "Everyday Mysteries" highlighting black boxes as the term for systems that are hard to see and explain. Models are tools used to show explanations of these mysterious inner workings. Students also read The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and learned how models develop over time and change with new information. Students were then introduced to their own black boxes. In future weeks, they will be working to observe these hidden systems and create their own models explaining what is happening inside the box. Just like scientists don't have a cheat sheet that can be checked at the end of the day, students will prove or disprove their hypothesis just from comparing models and never actually open the box!
We finished with some great student presentations and had fun practicing critical thinking with a mix of brain stretchers.
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