Doing Science:
The Process of
Scientific Inquiry
under a contract from the
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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This material is based on work supported by the National Institutes
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of Health under Contract No. 263-02-C-0061. Any opinions,
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findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
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publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
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the view of the funding agency.
Bruce Fuchs, Director, Office of Science Education (OSE)
Lisa Strauss, Project Officer, OSE
Copyright © 2005 by BSCS. All rights reserved. You have the
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permission of BSCS to reproduce items in this module for your
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classroom use. The copyright on this module, however, does
not cover reproduction of these items for any other use. For
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NIH Publication No. 05-5564
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Advisory Committee
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Please contact the NIH Office of Science
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Evanston, Illinois
Education with questions about this
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v About the National Institutes of Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii About the National Institute of General Medical Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Introduction to Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
• What Are the Objectives of the Module?
• Why Teach the Module?
• What’s in It for the Teacher?
Implementing the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
• What Are the Goals of the Module?
• What Are the Science Concepts and How Are They Connected?
• How Does the Module Correlate with the National Science Education Standards?
– Content Standards: Grades 5–8
– Teaching Standards
– Assessment Standards
• How Does the 5E Instructional Model Promote Active, Collaborative, Inquiry-Based Learning?
– Engage
– Explore
– Explain
– Elaborate
– Evaluate
• How Does the Module Support Ongoing Assessment?
• How Can Teachers Promote Safety in the Science Classroom?
• How Can Controversial Topics Be Handled in the Classroom?
Using the Student Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
• Format of the Lessons
• Timeline for the Module
Using the Web Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• Hardware and Software Requirements
• Making the Most of the Web Site
• Collaborative
Groups
• Web Activities for Students with Disabilities
Information about the Process of Scientific Inquiry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2 Inquiry as a Topic for the Middle School Science Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3 Inquiry and Educational Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4 Inquiry in the National Science Education Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5 Misconceptions about Inquiry-Based Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
6 Important Elements of Scientific Inquiry for this Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6.1 The Nature of Scientifi c Inquiry: Science as a Way of Knowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6.2 Scientifi cally Testable Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6.3 Scientifi c Evidence and Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7 Teaching Scientific Inquiry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.1 Posing Questions in the Inquiry Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8 An Example of Scientific Inquiry: Epidemiology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Student Lessons
• Lesson
1— Inquiring Minds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
• Lesson
2— Working with Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
• Lesson
3— Conducting a Scientific Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
• Lesson
4— Pulling It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Foreword
This curriculum supplement, from The NIH
students develop problem-solving strategies and
Curriculum Supplement Series, brings cutting-edge
critical-thinking skills.
medical science and basic research discoveries
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Each curriculum supplement comes with a
into classrooms. As the largest medical
complete set of materials for both teachers and
research institution in the United States, NIH
students, including printed materials, extensive
plays a vital role in the health of all Americans
background and resource information, and
and seeks to foster interest in research,
a Web site with interactive activities. These
science, and medicine-related careers for
supplements are distributed at no cost to
future generations. The NIH Office of Science
teachers across the United States. All materials
Education (OSE) is dedicated to promoting
may be copied for classroom use, but may not
science education and scientific literacy.
be sold. We welcome feedback from our users.
For a complete list of curriculum supplements,
We designed this curriculum supplement to
updates, and availability and ordering
complement existing life science curricula
information, or to submit feedback, please visit
at both the state and local levels and to be
our Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov or
consistent with the National Science Education
write to
Standards. 1 The supplement was developed and
Curriculum Supplement Series
tested by a team composed of teachers from
Office of Science Education
across the country; scientists; medical experts;
National Institutes of Health
other professionals with relevant subject-area
6705 Rockledge Dr., Suite 700 MSC 7984
expertise from institutes and medical schools
Bethesda, MD 20817-1814
across the country; representatives from the
NIH National Institute of General Medical
We appreciate the valuable contributions of the
Sciences (NIGMS); and curriculum-design
talented staff at BSCS, AiGroup, and SAIC. We
experts from Biological Sciences Curriculum
are also grateful to the NIH scientists, advisers,
Study (BSCS), AiGroup, and SAIC. The authors
and all other participating professionals for
incorporated real scientific data and actual case
their work and dedication. Finally, we thank
studies into classroom activities. A two-year
the teachers and students who participated in
development process included geographically
focus groups and field tests to ensure that these
dispersed field tests by teachers and students.
supplements are both engaging and effective. I
hope you find our series a valuable addition to
The structure of this module enables teachers
your classroom, and I wish you a productive
to effectively facilitate learning and stimulate
school year.
student interest by applying scientific concepts
to real-life scenarios. Design elements include a
Bruce A. Fuchs, Ph.D.
conceptual flow of lessons based on BSCS’s 5E
Director
Instructional Model of Learning, multisubject
Office of Science Education
integration that emphasizes cutting-edge
National Institutes of Health
science content, and built-in assessment tools.
supplements@science.education.nih.gov
Activities promote active and collaborative
learning and are inquiry-based, to help
________________________
1 In 1996, the National Academy of Sciences published the National Science Education Standards, which outlines what all citizens should understand about science by the time they graduate from high school. The Standards encourages teachers to select major science concepts that empower students to use information to solve problems rather than stressing memorization of unrelated information.
v
About the National Institutes of Health
Begun as the one-room Laboratory of Hygiene
• understanding of mental, addictive, and
in 1887, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
physical disorders; and
today is one of the world’s foremost medical
• collection, dissemination, and exchange
research centers and the federal focal point for
of information in medicine and health,
health research in the United States.
including the development and support
of medical libraries and the training
Mission and Goals
of medical librarians and other health
The NIH mission is science in pursuit of
information specialists.
fundamental knowledge about the nature and
behavior of living systems and the application
Organization
of that knowledge to extend healthy life and
Composed of 27 separate institutes and
reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
centers, NIH is one of eight health agencies
The goals of the agency are to
of the Public Health Service within the U.S.
• foster fundamental creative discoveries,
Department of Health and Human Services.
innovative research strategies, and their
NIH encompasses 75 buildings on more than
applications as a basis for advancing
300 acres in Bethesda, Md., as well as facilities
significantly the nation’s capacity to protect
at several other sites in the United States. The
and improve health;
NIH budget has grown from about $300 in
• develop, maintain, and renew scientific
1887 to more than $28 billion in 2005.
resources — both human and physical —
that will ensure the nation’s ability to
Research Programs
prevent disease;
One of NIH’s principal concerns is to invest
• expand the knowledge base in medical and
wisely the tax dollars entrusted to it for
associated sciences in order to enhance the
the support and conduct of this research.
nation’s economic well-being and ensure
Approximately 82 percent of the investment is
a continued high return on the public
made through grants and contracts supporting
investment in research; and
research and training in more than 2,000
• exemplify and promote the highest level of
research institutions throughout the United
scientific integrity, public accountability,
States and abroad. In fact, NIH grantees are
and social responsibility in the conduct
located in every state in the country. These
of science.
grants and contracts make up the NIH
Extramural Research Program.
NIH works toward meeting those goals by
providing leadership, direction, and grant
Approximately 10 percent of the budget goes to
support to programs designed to improve the
NIH’s Intramural Research Programs, the more
health of the nation through research in the
than 2,000 projects conducted mainly in its
• causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure
own laboratories. These projects are central to
of human diseases;
the NIH scientific effort. First-rate intramural
• processes of human growth and
scientists collaborate with one another
development;
regardless of institute affiliation or scientific
• biological effects of environmental
discipline and have the intellectual freedom
contaminants;
to pursue their research leads in NIH’s own
vii
laboratories. These explorations range from
Impact on the Nation’s Health
basic biology to behavioral research, to studies
Through its research, NIH has played a major
on treatment of major diseases.
role in making possible many achievements
over the past few decades, including these:
Grant-Making Process
• Mortality from heart disease, the number
The grant-making process begins with an
one killer in the United States, dropped by
idea that an individual scientist describes in
36 percent between 1977 and 1999.
a written application for a research grant. The
• Improved treatments and detection methods
project might be small, or it might involve
increased the relative five-year survival rate
millions of dollars. The project might become
for people with cancer to 60 percent.
useful immediately as a diagnostic test or new
• With effective medications and
treatment, or it might involve studies of basic
psychotherapy, the 19 million Americans
biological processes whose clinical value may
who suffer from depression can now look
not be apparent for many years.
forward to a better, more productive future.
• Vaccines are now available that protect
Each research grant application undergoes peer
against infectious diseases that once killed
review. A panel of scientific experts, primarily
and disabled millions of children and
from outside the government, who are active
adults.
and productive researchers in the biomedical
• In 1990, NIH researchers performed the
sciences, first evaluates the scientific merit
first trial of gene therapy in humans.
of the application. Then, a national advisory
Scientists are increasingly able to locate,
council or board, composed of eminent
identify, and describe the functions of
scientists as well as members of the public who
many of the genes in the human genome.
are interested in health issues or the biomedical
The ultimate goal is to develop screening
sciences, determines the project’s overall merit
tools and gene therapies for the general
and priority in advancing the research agenda
population for cancer and many other
of the particular NIH funding institutes.
diseases.
About 38,500 research and training applica-
Science Education
tions are reviewed annually through the NIH
Science education by NIH and its institutes
peer-review system. At any given time, NIH
contributes to ensuring the continued
supports 35,000 grants in universities,
supply of well-trained basic research and
medical schools, and other research and
clinical investigators, as well as the myriad
research training institutions, both nationally
professionals in the many allied disciplines who
and internationally.
support the research enterprise. These efforts
also help educate people about scientific results
NIH Nobelists
so that they can make informed decisions about
The roster of people who have conducted NIH
their own—and the public’s—health.
research or who have received NIH support
over the years includes some of the world’s
This curriculum supplement is one such science
most illustrious scientists and physicians.
education effort, a collaboration among three
Among them are 115 winners of Nobel Prizes
partners: the NIH National Institute of General
for achievements as diverse as deciphering
Medical Sciences, the NIH Office of Science
the genetic code and identifying the causes of
Education, and Biological Sciences Curriculum
hepatitis. You can learn more about Nobelists
Study.
who have received NIH support at http://www.
nih.gov/about/almanac/nobel/index.htm.
For more about NIH, visit http://www.nih.gov.
viii
About the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences
Many scientists across the country are
answers to questions in other, seemingly
united by one chief desire: to improve our
unrelated, areas. The anticancer drug cisplatin
understanding of how life works. Whether
unexpectedly grew out of studies on the effect
they gaze at or grind up, create or calculate,
of electrical fields on bacteria. Freeze-drying
model or manipulate, if their work sheds light
was developed originally by researchers as
on living systems, it may well receive financial
a way to concentrate and preserve biological
support from the National Institute of General
samples. And a laboratory technique called the
Medical Sciences (NIGMS), which funds the
polymerase chain reaction became the basis of
research of more than 3,000 scientists at
“DNA fingerprinting” techniques
universities, medical schools, hospitals, and
that have revolutionized criminal forensics.
other research institutions.
Similarly, it is impossible to predict the
NIGMS is part of the National Institutes of
eventual impact and applications of the basic
Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. gove