Friday 9/7/2012

EQ: "How do we use variables in science?"

VOCAB: inference, observation, (qualitative, and quantitative- from yesterday)

HOMEWORK:
          Period 1-       Finish "variables" worksheet
          Period 2-9-    Finish Spongebob worksheet #1
          All-                Be sure to have vocab words defined and cards COMPLETELY filled out.

CLASS RECAP: Today students continued practice using independent and dependent variables.  I checked the homework from last night and we went over the answers as a class.   Then students worked on another variables worksheet called Spongebob Worksheet #1.  At the end of class, I introduced the new words observation and inference.  We discussed that an observation is an observable fact detected with the five senses.  An inference is a guess or an opinion that explains the observation.

Example:  The walls are white.  (observation) (qualitative)
Example:  There are four walls.  (observation) (quantitative)
Example:  The walls are white because that is Miss Styer's favorite color (inference)

We learned that quantitative observations are those that involve quantities or numbers.  Qualitative observations are those that describe qualities or characteristics.  Students used their cells phones at the end of class to enter observations and inferences into PollEverywhere software. As messages popped up, we decided whether they were inferences or observations and whether the observation was qualitative or quantitative.