Indiana Social Studies P.1.4
The Standard
Distinguish between scientific and nonscientific research.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students look at how a question is studied, not just its topic. They tell whether a method uses testable claims and systematic evidence, or mainly answers a question through interpretation or judgment.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a study summary, students can name its question, evidence, and method. They can explain why a study of census patterns might be scientific, while an argument about whether a law was fair is not a scientific test.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think only lab experiments count as science, so they miss surveys and field observations. They may also think any study with numbers is scientific, or that historical research has no value unless it uses a scientific test.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: One student records sleep hours and quiz scores for 100 classmates using the same questions. Another asks one friend if sleep helps. Which uses a scientific method, and why?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cards describing a seed-growth trial, a sleep survey, and a diary-based account; have them sort by method and defend each choice.
Ask, 'Can census records support a scientific claim about migration?' Have students write two sentences explaining how they would test the claim.
Play Method Match: read six study summaries aloud; students hold up cards marked scientific study, historical interpretation, or unsupported opinion.
Compare a local water-quality report's sampling steps with an online post saying tap water is unsafe; list which claims can be checked.
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Printable P.1.4 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 1.H.8
Distinguish between historical fact and fiction in American folktales and legends that are part of American culture.
- S.1.6
Distinguish fact from opinion in data source analysis.
- P.1.2
Differentiate between research methods including descriptive, correlational, and experimental methods, decide when to use each, and differentiate between correl...
- P.1.3
Create testable hypotheses pertaining to the interaction between independent and dependent variables and distinguish between experimental and control groups and...
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