The Scientific Method and the Dollar Tree

You log into Facebook, and there’s THAT friend, the grammar expert. You know, that well-meaning grammar cop who is on a personal mission to correct every grammar or spelling error, ever. We love that person, and sometimes we learn from that person. Some of us may or may not recognize ourselves in that person.

I am not that person. Oh, no. I have a far more nerdy mission.

Experimental/Investigative Question

What is the question you want to answer?
What are your expectations for an answer, or claim, in the conclusion?

Writing the Claim: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

A claim is an answer to a question. Just about any question, actually.

You’ve come up with a question to investigate. You’ve gathered data, either from your own procedure and methodology, or perhaps from data compiled by others. You may have organized those data in a way that points to a pattern. Voila! Proof, right?

Nope.

Claim Evidence Reasoning – the Terms

All teachers give lab safety instruction, right? Students learn to wear chemical splash goggles whenever chemicals, glassware, or heat are present. They learn what to wear on lab day, how to handle flames and glassware and chemicals, and how to operate and lab equipment they may need.

From Scientific Method to Claim Evidence Reasoning

Since recorded time, humans have been curious about the natural world. They observed phenomena and sought explanations for what they saw. How is scientific knowledge developed? How is this knowledge changed as scientists find new evidence?