Science Skills and Methods

Name: ______Date: ______Period:______

Science Skills and Methods

Part A

1.  List the seven main skills that scientists use to gather data.

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2.  What is a controlled experiment? Give an example.

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3.  Explain the difference between science facts, scientific theories, and scientific laws.

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4.  Give two reasons for using safety skills in the classroom.

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Part B

A group of students is performing an experiment together. Each is using one of the methods of science. Use the list to decide what method each is using. Write the letter and step in the appropriate spaces.

a. State a conclusion b. Gather data

b. Analyze data e. State a problem

c. Predict f. Observe and record data

1. ______Carol read about the danger of food spoilage at the library. She presented her information to the group.

2. ______Juan stated that they should investigate the effects on chicken bouillion of three techniques for preserving food.

3. ______Yi held three test tubes up to the light and wrote what she saw.

4.  ______Jan stated that test tube labeled 1 would preserve the broth best.

5. ______Daniel stated that many foods must be refrigerated after they are open because bacteria grow more slowly at cool temperatures than at room temperature.

6. ______Maria made a graph that showed how the broth in the two test tubes had changed over the two weeks.

Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Part C

Scientific Method

Two chemistry students, Ana and Darlene, are working with two earth science students, Anita and Ralph, to study and describe an unusual rock. During their investigation, the students have done many things. Read the list of their activities. On the space provided, write the scientific skill the students used in each activity. Use pages 7-9 in your text for help.

1.  Ana broke off part of the rock, weighed it, and put it in a test tube with some acid. ______

2.  Ralph guessed that about half of the riverbank consists of this kind of rock. ______

3.  Anita figured the percent of this type of rock in a short length of riverbank. ______

4.  Anita suggested that the rock could have been carried here from upstream. ______

5.  Darlene told Ana that acid would dissolve at least the part of the rock that looks as soft and flaky. ______

6.  Ralph wrote a paragraph about the rock’s color and texture. ______

7.  Ana wrote down what happened to the rock in acid after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes. ______

8.  Darlene noticed that the rock contained three separate substances. ______

9.  Ralph and Anita wrote a report summarizing the results of their research. ______

10.  Anita said that the rock is probably an aggregate, or combination, of sandstone, quartz, and hardened clay. ______