Florida SC.6.N.3.1
The Standard
Recognize and explain that a scientific theory is a well-supported and widely accepted explanation of nature and is not simply a claim posed by an individual. Thus, the use of the term theory in science is very different than how it is used in everyday life.
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students distinguish a scientific theory from an everyday guess or personal claim. They explain that theories are built from repeated evidence, testing, and agreement among scientists.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can classify examples as scientific theories or casual uses of the word theory. They support each choice by referring to evidence, repeated testing, and scientific review.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a theory is only a guess or that one scientist can create an accepted theory alone. They may also think theories become laws after enough proof.
How to Assess It
- Give students two statements using the word theory, one scientific and one casual. Ask them to identify each use and explain the difference in two sentences.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups evidence cards about plate movement, then have them arrange the cards to show how multiple findings support plate tectonic theory.
Ask students to write a response to the claim, "A scientific theory is just someone's opinion."
Play Theory or Guess, where teams classify statement cards and earn a point only when their evidence-based explanation is accurate.
Have students examine a news headline about germ theory and rewrite it to show what theory means in science.
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Printable SC.6.N.3.1 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SC.5.N.2.1
Recognize and explain that science is grounded in empirical observations that are testable; explanation must always be linked with evidence.
- SC.6.N.3.2
Recognize and explain that a scientific law is a description of a specific relationship under given conditions in the natural world. Thus, scientific laws are d...
- SC.4.N.1.7
Recognize and explain that scientists base their explanations on evidence.
- SC.7.N.3.1
Recognize and explain the difference between theories and laws and give several examples of scientific theories and the evidence that supports them.
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