SC.7.N.3.1

Students will begin by differentiating between scientific theories and laws. They will then analyze evidence provided to them to determine what evidence supports their assigned theory and what evidence is not relevant. Students will present their findings to the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using a guided-inquiry model, students in a math or science class will use an experiment testing the effect of temperature on cricket chirping frequency to teach the concepts of representative vs random sampling, identifying directly proportional relationships, and highlight the differences between scientific theory and scientific law.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson compares and contrasts scientific theories and laws, addressing misconceptions associated with them.

Type: Lesson Plan

Learn to recognize and explain the difference between scientific theories and scientific laws in this interactive tutorial. You'll also explore several examples of scientific theories and the evidence that supports them.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This resource explains the difference between scientific theories, hypotheses, and laws.

• A scientific theory is an explanation inferred from multiple lines of evidence for some broad aspect of the natural world and is logical, testable, and predictive.
• As new evidence comes to light, or new interpretations of existing data are proposed, theories may be revised and even change; however, they are not tenuous or speculative.
• A scientific hypothesis is an inferred explanation of an observation or research finding; while more exploratory in nature than a theory, it is based on existing scientific knowledge.
• A scientific law is an expression of a mathematical or descriptive relationship observed in nature.

Type: Professional Development