Mississippi Science FSL.3C.1
The Standard
- FSL.3C
- Students will apply scientific literacy and thinking skills to analyze scientific investigations found in various experimental designs including, but not limited to, those found in sample ACT science passages.
Analyze the methods and choice of tools used in simple and complex experimental designs.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Nature of Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare experiments that test one factor with those that test several. They check what changes, what stays the same, and how often measurements are taken. They explain whether each tool measures the right thing with enough precision.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given two plant-growth plans, a student can spot when changing both light and water makes the results hard to interpret. They can explain why a light meter measures light exposure better than lamp distance and why each group needs several plants.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a digital tool is always better, even when it measures the wrong thing. They may treat lamp distance as a direct measure of light intensity. They may change two factors at once, then credit the result to just one.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Plan A measures lamp distance, gives plants different amounts of water, and measures height with a ruler. Plan B measures light with a light meter, gives equal water, and measures height with a ruler. Which plan gives clearer evidence about light, and what would you change in the other plan?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs test sugar dissolving in warm and cold water using thermometers, equal sugar masses, equal stirring, and stopwatches.
Ask: To test sunlight and fertilizer together, which plant groups and measurements would you use, and why?
Deal experiment cards with missing controls and tool choices; teams fix each plan and explain their choices.
Give students a stream map and pH strip and meter readings; have them pick sampling sites and justify which tool detects small changes.
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Printable FSL.3C.1 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- FSL.3A.5
Analyze data sets from experiments for patterns and trends and identify any weaknesses in the experimental designs.
- FSL.3A.2
Analyze data from simple experiments and construct organized models (e.g., data tables, graphs) detailing results from the experiments.
- FSL.3C.2
Determine the validity of scientific questions (e.g., hypothesis) and variables for complex experimental designs.
- CHE.1.2
Design and conduct experiments using appropriate measurements, significant figures, graphical analysis to analyze data.
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