Sara Vine

Science Circus:
Birch Log
Explore the log and try to figure out what happened to it. What are all the things you observe
about these branches? What are some of your ideas about how it got to look this way?
In your notebook, draw some of the features of the log and your thoughts about why the log
looks the way it does.
Observing To discover what happened to the logs, gathering information visually was
required.
Inferring After observing, I made an inference about what happened to the logs. I drew
tentative conclusions about the object based on prior knowledge.
Communicating By recording, organizing, and reporting observations I was able to draw
conclusions upon what may have happened to the logs. I recognized other possibilities by
discussing with peers and sharing ideas.
Predicting by observing, inferring, and communicating, I predicted what might have happened
to the logs. I forecasted the outcome based on this knowledge and data.
Questions Personally, I was asking myself questions to discover what happened. Why does
one look broken and the other look sawed off? What whether did they go through? Where are
they from? And so on All of these questions can be answered through scientific investigation.
Fortune Fish
Try out different actions with the fish to make it move. Why do you think the fish moves as it
does? Talk with each other and come up with an explanation for the fishs movements.
In your notebook, write down the kinds of actions you took and the fish movement that resulted.
Observing Visually, I watched how the fish changed and moved as I put it in different
locations.
Inferring After observing, I used the data to make an interpretation based on prior experience.
This is where I came up with the results.
Predicting I forecasted the future by thinking the fish would curl up the long way, which it did.
I was able to observe that the fish does more than this by moving in different ways and positions.
Questioning I asked myself questions that could be answered through scientific investigation.
Experimenting I was manipulating and observing the fortune fish by moving it to various
locations my hand, the table, on top of my clothing and more. Each location caused something
different to happen.
Crazy Rocks
Here is a small portion of my rock collection. When you explore these rocks, what do you
notice? In what ways are they the same? In what ways are they different? How many categories
could you place the rocks into? Where do you think I found these rocks?
Write down your various observations and categories.
Observing I was gathering information through the visual and kinesthetic channels to gather
information.

Inferring By observing the rocks, I was able to make inferences about how the rocks are the
same, how they differ, and where they came from. I drew conclusions through observations and
prior knowledge.
Communicating By recording observations and conclusions, I shared them with others and
took note of their ideas as well. This helped me recognize characteristics I did not recognize
independently.
Classifying After observing, inferring, and communicating with others, I was able to classify
the rocks as requested. These rocks can be grouped into categories such as size, color, texture,
appeal, density, and much more.
Predicting After observing, I was able to make predictions about what the rocks were and
where they came from. The only way this is possible is to use the data set that I was able to
record.
Questioning Asking questions helped me gather information about the rock collection. What
properties does each rock have? What characteristics lead to various conclusions? Where did the
rocks come from? How old are they? All of these questions can be answered through scientific
investigation.
The Leaky Faucet
Measure and write down the amount of water that drips from the tap in one minute. Work out
how much water will drip in one hour. How would you find out how much water will drip in one
whole day?
In your notebook, show your calculations for the different amounts of water. Create a chart that
shows graphically how much water would be lost in drips.
Observing By looking at the beaker, I was able to identify how much water dripped out in one
minute. I observed 17mL of water leaking per minute.
Measuring I measured the amount of water dripping out by comparing the water level to an
appropriate instrument. This is the process of identifying exactly how much water leaked out in
one minute.
Inferring After measuring and observing water dripping, I made an inference about how much
water had leaked. I drew conclusions based on this data.
Predicting After recording the amount of water that leaked out in one minute, I was able to
predict how much water would drip in one hour and 24 hours. This was possible because I used
the information recorded and multiplied it to predict how much water would leak at various
intervals.
The Penny in the Pie Pan
At this station, you will put a penny in the water in the pie pan. Before you do, take your pencil
and trace the penny in your science notebook. Now draw what you think the penny will look like
when you put it in the water. Now place the penny in the water? What do you notice? Draw how
the penny looks in the water.
Observing Through the visual system, I gathered information on the changes of a dry versus
sunken penny. By looking at the difference, I could tell the penny looked shinier in the pan.
Inferring Through the process of observation, I drew conclusions about how the penny
changed and stayed the same.

Predicting Thinking about what might happen to the penny underwater was my prediction
process. I originally thought the penny would appear to be larger, however, that prediction was
not proven to be true.
Questioning I asked questions that were answered through the scientific investigation. Will the
penny look larger? Will the penny look smaller? Will the penny appear the same size? Will the
penny appear to be shinier?
Experimenting First, we observed the penny out of the pan. Next we put the penny in a pan
full of water. We deliberately manipulated the variable to observe the changes.
Three Types of Soil
This is a thought experiment. Imagine you have three different types of soil. How would you
determine which soil holds the most water?
Write your solution to the problem stated above in your science notebooks. Be clear about
details.
Observing If there was soil in the beakers, I would gather information about it by looking at it
and touching it to observe the differences.
Inferring By observing various properties of each soil, I would make an inference about what
soil would hold the most water.
Predicting By observing and inferring, I would predict what soil would hold the most water by
exploring each soils characteristics.
Questioning Asking questions will help this scientific investigation. How dry is each sample?
Where did the samples come from? How dense is each portion? What is each sample composed
of exactly?
Hypothesizing Through investigation of each question, one could make a hypothesis about
what soil will hold the most water: if sample A has the greatest density, then sample A will hold
the most amount of water.
The Weather Station
Using Chromebooks, find weather conditions for Chicago, Ill., San Francisco, Calif., and New
York City. In what ways are they the same? In what ways are they different? How do they
compare to Bozeman? Set up a chart in your science notebook that organizes these data.
Which of these cities would you prefer to be in today? Explain your reasons.
Observing Using my cell phone, I gathered information visually to compare and contrast
weather in different parts of the country.
Inferring Based on knowledge through observation, I drew conclusions about similarities and
differences in weather around the United States.
Communicating As I took note of weather patterns, the website was sommunicating
information with me. Without the use of these weather websites, I would not have been able to
gather the information I needed for this station.
Classifying By observing information, I was able to identify and classify similarities and
differences in weather patterns. I was able to compare and contrast the various locations using
the communicated information.