SC.4.N.1.8

Recognize that science involves creativity in designing experiments.
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 4
Body of Knowledge: Nature of Science
Idea: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Big Idea: The Practice of Science -

A: Scientific inquiry is a multifaceted activity; The processes of science include the formulation of scientifically investigable questions, construction of investigations into those questions, the collection of appropriate data, the evaluation of the meaning of those data, and the communication of this evaluation.

B: The processes of science frequently do not correspond to the traditional portrayal of "the scientific method."

C: Scientific argumentation is a necessary part of scientific inquiry and plays an important role in the generation and validation of scientific knowledge.

D: Scientific knowledge is based on observation and inference; it is important to recognize that these are very different things. Not only does science require creativity in its methods and processes, but also in its questions and explanations.

Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5020050: Science - Grade Four (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
7720050: Access Science Grade 4 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))
5020110: STEM Lab Grade 4 (Specifically in versions: 2016 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
SC.4.N.1.Pa.4: Recognize that people share information about science.
SC.4.N.1.In.5: Recognize that scientists perform experiments, make observations, and gather evidence.
SC.4.N.1.Su.5: Recognize ways that scientists collect evidence, such as by observations or measuring.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Formative Assessment

Testing Food:

Students determine the relative amounts of oils in food. They then apply their understanding to an additional situation. The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, make generalized inferences from their observations, and apply their understanding to an additional situation.

Type: Formative Assessment

Lesson Plans

“Houston, we have a problem.” Wait…we have a solution!:

Students will use a model to propose a solution to a problem that scientists grappled with when planning to launch the James Webb Space Telescope. Groups will select a problem/solution or sequence text structure and include multimedia elements to complete a writing task explaining their group’s solution.

Type: Lesson Plan

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Students will explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) and use computational thinking and Machine Learning (ML) to pretrain a model to recognize and identify objects, including geometric shapes and aircraft. They will used unplugged activities to mimic sorting and classification of the objects using their prior knowledge and then make connections to human learning and Machine Learning. Students will then problem solve and propose solutions using computational thinking to improve the ML model to better recognize the objects. This lesson is an integrated Computer Science, Science and Math lesson designed for students in grades 3-5 to apply math and science content knowledge while exploring and using computational thinking as they think like Computer Engineers and reflect on potential career paths.

Type: Lesson Plan

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Type: Lesson Plan

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 This lesson covers:

  • The natural history, biology, and ecology of humpback whales
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Type: Lesson Plan

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In this lesson, students will address the following real-world problem of sand dune erosion while integrating Engineering Design concepts:

Florida’s coastline has been ravaged by winds from hurricanes, resulting in damage to sand dunes and oceanfront properties. Your mission is to design the most effective barrier that would limit the amount of sand displaced from our tall sand dunes and prevent further damage to oceanfront buildings. Your designs can help us save the sand dunes before they are blown away!

Type: Lesson Plan

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Type: Lesson Plan

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Type: Lesson Plan

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In this lesson, students engage in an engineering design contest to design and create a windmill that will lift a load.

Type: Lesson Plan

Follow the Water Lesson 1: Filtration Station:

Water is essential for human health, but it can sometimes be contaminated. Water filtration can filter out contaminants and impurities making water much safer to consume. But what is the best way to filter water? Students will participate in a water filtration engineering challenge to try out different combinations of materials to find which works best. This lesson was developed by the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science with support from the Weo Foundation.

Type: Lesson Plan

Keep it Cool –an Engineering Design Challenge:

This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help fourth grade students apply the concepts of the flow of heat from a hot object to a cold object and that heat flow may cause objects to change temperature. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark.

Type: Lesson Plan

Unit/Lesson Sequence

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In this unit, students learn about various plants, their parts, their life cycles, and the importance of bees in plant reproduction.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

Virtual Manipulative

Tinker Ball:

Consider a wide range of possibilities when problem solving by experimenting with materials. Play around with objects and ideas to discover that there may be more than one solution. You will have an opportunity to explore with an assortment of objects to create a path for a ball to take.

Type: Virtual Manipulative

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Virtual Manipulative

Tinker Ball:

Consider a wide range of possibilities when problem solving by experimenting with materials. Play around with objects and ideas to discover that there may be more than one solution. You will have an opportunity to explore with an assortment of objects to create a path for a ball to take.

Type: Virtual Manipulative

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.