| This
information has been taken directly from the Accelerate
U - Standards and Resource Guides (with approval) from the K-12
Education, NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT site. No information
in this document has been changed.
Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and
Technology at Three Levels
Standard 1: Elementary
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and
engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers,
and develop solutions.
Scientific Inquiry
1. The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations
of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.
Students:
- ask "why" questions in attempts to
seek greater understanding concerning objects and events they
have observed and heard about.
- question the explanations they hear
from others and read about, seeking clarification and comparing
them with their own observations and understandings.
- develop relationships among observations
to construct descriptions of objects and events and to form their
own tentative explanations of what they have observed.
This is evident, for example, when students:
- observe a variety of objects that
either sink or float when placed in a container of water. Working
in groups, they propose an explanation of why objects sink or
float. After sharing and discussing their proposed explanation,
they refine it and submit it for assessment. The explanation is
rated on clarity and plausibility.
2. Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry
involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the
use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring
considerable ingenuity.
Students:
- develop written plans for exploring
phenomena or for evaluating explanations guided by questions or
proposed explanations they have helped formulate.
- share their research plans with others
and revise them based on their suggestions.
- carry out their plans for exploring
phenomena through direct observation and through the use of simple
instruments that permit measurements of quantities (e.g., length,
mass, volume, temperature, and time).
This is evident, for example, when students:
- are asked to develop a way of testing
their explanation of why objects sink or float when placed in
a container of water. They tell what procedures and materials
they will use and indicate what results will support their explanation.
Their plan is critiqued by others, they revise it, and submit
it for assessment. The plan is rated on clarity, soundness in
addressing the issue, and feasibility. After the teacher suggests
modifications, the plan is carried out.
3. The observations made while testing proposed explanations,
when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new
insights into phenomena.
Students:
- organize observations and measurements
of objects and events through classification and the preparation
of simple charts and tables.
- interpret organized observations and
measurements, recognizing simple patterns, sequences, and relationships.
- share their findings with others and
actively seek their interpretations and ideas.
- adjust their explanations and understandings
of objects and events based on their findings and new ideas.
This is evident, for example, when students:
- prepare tables or other representations
of their observations and look for evidence which supports or
refutes their explanation of why objects sink or float when placed
in a container of water. After sharing and discussing their results
with other groups, they prepare a brief research report that includes
methods, findings, and conclusions. The report is rated on its
clarity, care in carrying out the plan, and presentation of evidence
supporting the conclusions. |
