Dino-Data

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Time: Two class periods.

Students are presented with a set of data about dinosaurs and are asked to make hypotheses about what the data can tell us.

[Evidence of evolution: Grades 6-8] Fossils provide evidence of past life. (LS4.A)
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Science focuses on natural phenomena and processes. (NOS8)
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Scientific knowledge is open to question and revision as we come up with new ideas and discover new evidence. (P6, NOS3)
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] A hallmark of science is exposing ideas to testing. (P3, P4, P6, P7)
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observations, comparisons, and modeling) to collect evidence. (P2, P3, P4, NOS1)
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] The real process of science is complex, iterative, and can take many different paths.
[Nature of science: Grades 6-8] Science is a human endeavor. (NOS7)
[Studying evolution: Grades 6-8] Our knowledge of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
[Studying evolution: Grades 6-8] Scientists use multiple lines of evidence to study life over time.
[Studying evolution: Grades 6-8] Scientists use geological evidence to establish the age of fossils.

Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
Disciplinary Core Idea ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
NOS Matrix understanding category 1. Scientific investigations use a variety of methods.
NOS Matrix understanding category 3. Scientific knowledge is open to revision in light of new evidence.
NOS Matrix understanding category 7. Science is a human endeavor.
NOS Matrix understanding category 8. Science addresses questions about the natural and material world.
Science and Engineering Practice 2. Developing and using models
Science and Engineering Practice 3. Planning and carrying out investigations
Science and Engineering Practice 4. Analyzing and interpreting data
Science and Engineering Practice 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions
Science and Engineering Practice 7. Engaging in argument from evidence

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Understanding Evolution