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The terms that describe examples of scientific knowledge, for example; "theory," "law," "hypothesis," and "model" have very specific meanings and functions within science.
Big Idea 3 : The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Models
Cluster Standards

This cluster includes the following benchmarks.

Visit the specific benchmark webpage to find related instructional resources.

  • SC.7.N.3.1 : Recognize and explain the difference between theories and laws and give several examples of scientific theories and the evidence that supports them.
  • SC.7.N.3.2 : Identify the benefits and limitations of the use of scientific models.
Cluster Information
Number:
SC.7.N.3
Title:
The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Models
Type:
Big Idea
Subject:
Science
Grade:
7
Body of Knowledge
Nature of Science
Cluster Access Points

This cluster includes the following Access Points.

  • SC.7.N.3.In.1 : Identify that scientific theories are explanations and laws describe relationships, and both are supported by evidence.
  • SC.7.N.3.In.2 : Identify a benefit of using a model to explain how things work.
  • SC.7.N.3.Su.1 : Recognize that scientific theories and laws are supported by evidence.
  • SC.7.N.3.Su.2 : Recognize a benefit of using a model to explain how things work.
Cluster Resources

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

Original Student Tutorials
Lesson Plans
  • Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature & Turbidity: This is lesson 3 of 3 in the Goldilocks’ Café Just Right unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature and turbidity level. Students will use both the temperature probe and turbidity sensor and code using ScratchX during their investigation.

  • Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Turbidity: This is lesson 2 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” level of turbidity. Students will use turbidity sensors and code using ScratchX during their investigation.

  • Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature: This is lesson 1 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature. Students will use temperature probes and code using ScratchX during their investigation.

     

  • Trick or Science: Catching the Light: In this lesson, students will be able to observe, explain, and model reflection and refraction through a series of inquiry light stations. Students will engage and perform different challenges to obtain knowledge about how light reflects off of surfaces and how light is refracted when changing mediums.

  • Layers of the Earth: Students will model and describe the layers of the Earth, including the crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mantle, outer core, and inner core through several hands-on activities. Students will model the different layers of Earth's interior and differentiate between benefits and limitations of the models.

  • Deforestation: In this 5E lesson, students will collect data through a simulation game on deforestation and be able to describe how humans have impacted a simulated forest. Students will learn about subsistence farming and its role in rain forest (primary) forest deforestation.

  • Radioactive Dating Lesson 3 - Modeling : Students will further explore the idea of radioactive dating through a drawing activity and creating a model simulation in Scratch.

  • Introducing the Types of Energy: The students will investigate how the various forms of energy are transferred into other forms of energy and will use graphic organizers and stations to describe how the energy is being transferred.

  • Theories and Laws: Analyzing Evidence: 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.

  • STEM-Designing an Organ Transport Container: This is a STEM-Engineering Design Challenge lesson. Students will go through the process of creating an organ transport container using their knowledge of human body systems, heat flow, and volume.

  • Rocks Makin' Rocks: Rock Cycle Simulation: Students will participate in a simulation model of the rock cycle. Collecting data by throwing die, students will develop an understanding of the movement of atoms and rock particles through the rock cycle.

  • The Flow of Energy Through Earth : In this lesson, students will be using a model of Earth to observe the flow of energy through different layers.

  • Manipulating Punnett Squares: Students will learn how to draw, complete, interpret, calculate the probabilities, and figure ratios for single trait crosses with complete dominance interaction.

  • Cricket Songs: 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.

  • Scientific Theories and Scientific Laws: This lesson compares and contrasts scientific theories and laws, addressing misconceptions associated with them.

  • Models: Their Importance, Benefits, and Drawbacks: The students will be able to examine several models, and identify pertinent aspects of each, including benefits and drawbacks of their use.
  • 7th Grade Plate Tectonics: This lesson plan uses recent earthquakes as a learning opportunity. Students will learn what causes earthquakes to happen by going through a series of activities that allow them to explore the structure of Earth's interior, convection currents in the mantle, motion of tectonic plates, and the relationship between plate tectonics and earthquakes.

  • Faulty Movement: In this activity, students are introduced to faults. They will learn about different kinds of faults and understand their relationship to earthquakes.
  • Super-Modeling: In this lesson, students will understand the benefits and limitations of scientific models.
Perspectives Video: Expert
Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Professional Development
  • Ideas in Science: Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws: 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.
Text Resource
  • Some of Chocolate's Health Benefits May Trace to 'Bugs': This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. Chocolate has been known to have health benefits for hundreds of years, but why? Because of the large size of the molecules found in chocolate, the body shouldn't be able to absorb their beneficial components. A team of scientists investigated to see if bacteria in the gut are responsible for breaking down these large molecules further, enabling the human body to absorb them and take advantage of chocolate's health benefits.

Unit/Lesson Sequence
  • Middle School Chemistry Unit | Chapter 2 | Changes of State: Students help design experiments to test whether the temperature of water affects the rate of evaporation and whether the temperature of water vapor affects the rate of condensation. Students look in detail at the water molecule to explain the state changes of water.