Florida SC.7.N.1.3
The Standard
Distinguish between an experiment (which must involve the identification and control of variables) and other forms of scientific investigation and explain that not all scientific knowledge is derived from experimentation.
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify whether an investigation changes one factor while keeping other conditions controlled. They explain how observations, field studies, surveys, and models can also produce scientific knowledge.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can label a study as experimental or nonexperimental and cite evidence from its design. They can name the independent variable, dependent variable, and controls in an experiment.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call any science procedure an experiment. They may confuse the measured outcome with the changed factor. Some think observational evidence is less scientific because no variable was manipulated.
How to Assess It
- Give students two scenarios: testing fertilizer amounts on plants and counting birds at a pond. Ask them to classify each and justify their answers using variables and controls.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Groups change ramp height, measure toy car distance, and compare their experiment with five minutes of observing playground bird behavior.
Ask students to write: How can scientists learn about hurricanes without creating one or controlling its variables?
Play a card sort with investigation scenarios labeled experiment, observation, survey, or model, then require one design clue for each choice.
Examine how meteorologists use satellite observations and computer models to predict storms without manipulating the weather.
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Printable SC.7.N.1.3 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SC.6.N.1.3
Explain the difference between an experiment and other types of scientific investigation, and explain the relative benefits and limitations of each.
- SC.5.N.1.2
Explain the difference between an experiment and other types of scientific investigation.
- SC.5.N.1.5
Recognize and explain that authentic scientific investigation frequently does not parallel the steps of "the scientific method."
- SC.6.N.2.1
Distinguish science from other activities involving thought.
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