Science Methods and Process Skills Grade 1 Teacher Guide

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills

Teacher’s Guide

Acknowledgments

Grateful acknowledgment is given to the authors, artists, photographers, museums, publishers, and agents for permission to reprint copyrighted material. Every effort has been made to
secure the appropriate permission. If any omissions have been made or if corrections are required, please contact the Publisher.

Photographic Credits

Front Cover (bg) Jim Webb Consulting LLC; Back Cover (bg), 11, 13 Carsten Peter/National Geographic Image Collection; Inside Front Cover, Title Page (bg) Robert Clark/National
Geographic Image Collection; 2–3 Comstock Image/Jupiterimages; 4 (t) Emory Kristof/National Geographic Image Collection; 4–5 (bg) Peter Zaharov/Shutterstock; 5 (t) Mattias Klum/
National Geographic Image Collection; 6 Digital Vision/Getty Images; 7 Maria Stenzel/National Geographic Image Collection; 8–9 Image Source Pink/Jupiterimages; 10 (bg) Kevin
Schafer/Alamy Images; 10 (b), 12, 14 Mark Mallchok/Brella Productions; 15 Jim Reed/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 16 A. T. Willett/Alamy Images; 17 Jim Reed/Corbis; 18–19 (bg) O’Sullivan/
Alamy Images; 20 WILDLIFE/Peter Arnold, Inc.; 21 (tr) ra-photos/iStockphoto; 22 (bg) AllaVi/Shutterstock, (bl) LOYISH/Shutterstock; 23 (t) Sven Klaschik/iStockphoto, (br) Robert Brenner/
PhotoEdit, (cl) Gertjan Hooijer/Shutterstock; 24 Yagil Henkin - Images of Israel/Alamy Images; 25 Tobias Helbig/iStockphoto; 26 Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/Jupiterimages; 27 (cl) D.
Hurst/Alamy Images, (tc) largeformat4x5/Shutterstock, (tr) silver-john/Shutterstock, (ccl) Roman Sigaev/Shutterstock, (ccr) Rebecca Ellis/iStockphoto, (tcr) D. Hurst/Alamy Images, (cc)
Adrov Andriy/Shutterstock, (cr) Lepas/Shutterstock; (br) (bl) Noam Armonn/Shutterstock; 28 Ellen Senisi/The Image Works, Inc.; 29 (tr) Roland Birke/Phototake, (bl) (br) Vivek Nigam/
iStockphoto; 30 Eric Nguyen/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 31 Nancy Sheehan/PhotoEdit; 33 (tl) Norbert Rosing/National Geographic Image Collection, (tr) Dmitry Deshevykh/iStockphoto;
34–35 (bg) Trutta/Shutterstock; 35 (tl) alphacell/Shutterstock, (tc) Elena Schweitzer/Shutterstock, (tr) jocicalek/Shutterstock, (cl) Stephen Aaron Rees/Shutterstock, (c) Christophe Testi/
Shutterstock, (cr) Fedor Bobkov/Shutterstock, (bl) Andrew Northrup, (bc) Simon Krzic/Shutterstock, (br) Alexander Ilin/Shutterstock; 36 (bl) Corbis, (br) Tiffany Schoepp/Blend Images/
Jupiterimages; 37 (t) (c) pixelman/Shutterstock, (cr) Fotocrisis/Shutterstock, (bc) AndreyKlepikov/Shutterstock; 38 (tl) Mark Thiessen and Becky Hale, National Geographic Photographers,
(cl) Viktar Ramanenka/Shutterstock, (c) sachek/Shutterstock, (cr) EuToch/Shutterstock, (b) Photodisc/Getty Images; 39 (bl) Susan Van Etten/PhotoEdit, (br) David Young-Wolff/PhotoEdit;
40 (bl) Michael Newman/PhotoEdit, (tr) Eremin Sergey/Shutterstock, (br) Christopher O Driscoll/iStockphoto; 41 (tl) Yegor Korzh/Shutterstock, (tc) R. Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock, (bl)
Cre8tive Images/Shutterstock; 42 (tl) Ellen Senisi/The Image Works, Inc., (cl) Gerville Hall/iStockphoto, (bl) plusphoto/Shutterstock; 43 Thomas Barwick/Photographer’s Choice RF/Getty
Images; 44 (tl) Dmitry Deshevykh/iStockphoto, (tbl) A. T. Willett/Alamy Images, (cl) Mark Mallchok/Brella Productions, (bl) Ellen Senisi/The Image Works, Inc.; 45 (tl) Emory Kristof/National
Geographic Image Collection, (tbl) ra-photos/iStockphoto, (cl) Mattias Klum/National Geographic Image Collection, (bl) Nancy Sheehan/PhotoEdit; 46 (tl) WILDLIFE/Peter Arnold, Inc.,
(tbl) LOYISH/Shutterstock, (cl) Jim Reed/Photo Researchers, Inc., (bl) Mark Mallchok/Brella Productions; 47 (tl) Yagil Henkin - Images of Israel/Alamy Images, (tbl) Carsten Peter/National
Geographic Image Collection, (cl) Jim Reed/Corbis, (bl) Noam Armonn/Shutterstock; Inside Back Cover (bg) Fesus Robert/Shutterstock.

Illustrator Credits

Sage Adams

Teacher’s Guide Credits

Front Cover (bg) Jim Webb Consulting LLC; Back Cover (bg) Carsten Peter/National Geographic Image Collection; 3 (b) Comstock Image/Jupiterimages; 4 (bl) Robert Clark/National
Geographic Image Collection, (br) Fesus Robert/Shutterstock.

Neither the Publisher nor the authors shall be liable for any damage that may be caused or sustained or result from conducting any of the activities in this publication without
specifically following instructions, undertaking the activities without proper supervision, or failing to comply with the cautions contained herein.

Program Authors

Randy Bell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Malcolm B. Butler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, University
of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida; Kathy Cabe Trundle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Early Childhood Science Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Nell K. Duke,
Ed.D., Co-Director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center and Professor of Teacher Education and Educational Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan;
Judith Sweeney Lederman, Ph.D., Director of Teacher Education and Associate Professor of Science Education, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of
Technology, Chicago, Illinois; David W. Moore, Ph.D., Professor of Education, College of Teacher Education and Leadership, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.

The National Geographic Society

John M. Fahey, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer
Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board

Copyright © 2011 The Hampton-Brown Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The National Geographic Society, publishing under the imprints National Geographic School
Publishing and Hampton-Brown.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

National Geographic and the Yellow Border are registered trademarks of the National Geographic Society.

National Geographic School Publishing

Hampton-Brown
www.NGSP.com
Printed in the USA.
RR Donnelley, Johnson City, TN

ISBN: 978-0-7362-7268-1

11 12 13 14 15 16 17
10 9 8 7 6 5 4

2  Grade 1  Science Methods and Process Skills

Introduction

The Science Methods and Process Skills introduces students to the scientific methods, scientific process skills,
scientific tools, and safety concerns presented in National Geographic Science. In addition, the text provides
students with a unique and in-depth look at the scientific research of the National Geographic Society
through a retelling of a scientist’s fieldwork.
The Science Methods and Process Skills is meant to be an interactive read-aloud. During the shared reading of
this book, students become familiar with the methods and processes used in the student inquiry activities.
This guide provides instructional support including:

Contents

What is a Scientist?.......................................................................................... 4
Scientific Methods ........................................................................................... 6
Scientific Process Skills ................................................................................... 8
Scientific Tools ................................................................................................. 12
Safety in Science............................................................................................. 14

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 3

What is a Scientist?

Scientists are people who are curious about the world and everything in it. They are people who want to
learn about many different things. They like to ask questions and find answers. They like to solve problems
and find new things, too. Most importantly, scientists are people who strive to learn all they can and become
an expert in their field and area of interest. Students may wonder, “What is a scientist?”

The following table outlines a number of different scientists in various fields.

Applied Sciences Earth Sciences Life Sciences Math Physical Sciences
and Technology Geologist Biologist Mathematician Astronomer
Agriculturalist Geographer Botanist Statistician Astrophysicist
Computer Scientist Meteorologist Geneticist Chemist
Electrical Engineer Naturalist Medical Scientist
Oceanographer Microbiologist Physicist
Engineer Paleontologist Zoologist

Inventor

Activity

Have students generate descriptions and drawings to
illustrate their ideas of a scientist.
After completing the activity, reinforce the idea that a
career in science is an attainable goal for anyone.

4 Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills

What is a Scientist? continued What is a Scientist?

Page 4 Point to the photos on pages
Page 6 4–5 and read each caption
aloud. Explain to students that
scientists do many different
things and work in a variety
of places.

Next, read the question, “What
else do you think scientists do?”
Have students work in groups
to create a list of the different
careers and work scientists
do. Encourage each group to
share their list with the rest of
the class.

Page 5

Think Like a Scientist

Point to the photos on pages
6–7. Read each thought
bubble aloud. Encourage
students to think of other
questions they might have
about the photos.

Next, encourage students
to create a list of questions
they have or problems they
would like to solve about the
natural world.

Page 7

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 5

Scientific Methods

Looking for Patterns in the Data Explain to students
that when a science investigation is done the
same way multiple times, one can expect to get
similar results.

Have students explain how the investigation
discussed in this section was repeated. Ask students
to identify how many times the investigation was
repeated and what the “pattern” or similar results
were for the investigation.

Making Conclusions Explain to students that the data
scientists collect in an investigation or experiment
are used to answer the question(s) the scientist sets
out to discover. Share with students that, sometimes,
scientists do not find an answer to their question(s).
Explain that sometimes a scientist’s findings are
inconclusive and more research is needed.

Have students identify the conclusion that was made
on page 16.

The scientific methods include: Sharing Results Explain to students that
scientists share the information they learned
Asking Questions Remind students that scientific from investigations and experiments through a
discovery usually starts with a question or a problem. variety of ways, including:

Have students identify the question presented on • presentations
page 11. Then, have students provide a reason why • drawings
this question is important. • maps
• data tables
Making and Carrying Out a Plan Have students • graphs
identify the plan and how it was carried out as • online journals
presented on pages 12–13. • media, such as television

Collecting and Recording Data Explain to students Tell students, that they, too, can share what they
that scientists keep records that describe their learn by keeping an accurate science notebook.
observations, measurements, and other data. Students should be encouraged to share their
science notebook entries with different people,
Ask students to identify the information, or data, that including their classmates and families.
was collected. Then, have students share how, or the
way, the data were collected.

6 Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills

Meet Tim Samaras

Tim Samaras’s harrowing mission is to predict a tornado’s track, arrive before it does, deploy a probe that
he designed directly into the twister’s path, and then get out of the way. He spends every May through June
racing through the Midwest’s Tornado Alley in a truck packed with weather recording instruments and his
tornado probes.

Successful deployments gather the data Tim needs to accurately model the deadly winds and predict the
tornado’s path. Since the current warnings average only a slim 13 minutes, every second counts in the race
to save lives.

Pages 10–17

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 7

Scientific Process Skills

The processes of doing science are the skills that
scientists use in their research and fieldwork. Since
science is about asking questions and finding answers
to those questions, the processes are actually the
same skills that people use in their daily lives. When
students are taught to use these skills in science, they
are also being taught the skills that they will use in
their future.

Review with students ways in which they might use
these scientific process skills as they learn about the
natural world in National Geographic Science. Activities
involving each of the process skills are presented on
pages 20–33 of the book. Further activities involving
each of the scientific process skills can be found in the
student inquiry books.

Observe and Infer

Explain to students that
when scientists are conducting
an investigation or experiment,
they observe. They also infer.
Scientists use their five senses
to observe things, and they use
what they observe and what
they already know to infer.

Next, have students identify Page 20 Page 21
the five senses and related
body parts. Then work
together to complete the
activity on page 21 and share
other ways they can observe
and infer.

8 Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills

Scientific Process Skills, continued Make an Operational
Definition
Page 22
Page 24 Explain to students that when
scientists make an operational
definition, they are using
their own words to define
what something is or what
something can do.

Page 23 Next, have students complete
the activity on page 23
to create an operational
definition for precipitation.
Then, have students share why
they think it is important to
be able to make operational
definitions.

Predict

Share with students that when
scientists want to explain what
they think will happen in an
investigation or experiment,
they predict. Scientists use
what they have learned or
observed to predict.

Next, have students work
together to complete the
activity on page 25. Then, have
students share other ways they
can use this skill.

Page 25

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 9

Scientific Process Skills, continued Page 27
Page 29
Sort

Explain to students that when
scientists sort, they put things
into groups. Scientists sort
things based on an object’s
properties. Scientists ask how
the things they are sorting
are alike and how they
are different.

Next, have students work
together to complete the
activity on page 27. Then, have
students share other ways they
can use this skill.

Page 26

Estimate, Measure, Page 28
or Count

Share with students that when
scientists estimate, they give
an answer based on prior
experiences. Scientists use a
variety of tools to measure.
Explain to students that
measurements can be
made in both standard and
non-standard units. Provide
examples. When counting,
scientists use numbers.

Next, have students complete
the activity on page 29. Then,
have students share other
ways they can use these skills.

10 Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills

Scientific Process Skills, continued Make and Use Models

Page 30 Explain to students that
Page 32 scientists often make a model
to show how something looks
or how something works.
Explain to students that a
model is usually made to
represent something that is
too large or too small to see
with the naked eye.

Next, have students complete
the activity on page 31. Then,
have students share other
ways they can use this skill.

Page 31

Compare

Share with students that
scientists compare things by
telling how objects are alike
and how they are different.
Scientists use their senses to
compare things. They ask how
the things they are comparing
are alike and how they
are different.

Next, have students work
together to complete the
activity on page 33. Then, have
students share other ways they
can use this skill.

Page 33

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 11

Scientific Tools

Scientists use a variety of tools when they do
research or are working in the field. Review with
students ways in which they might use these scientific
tools as they learn about the natural world in National
Geographic Science.
Activities and demonstrations involving some of
the scientific tools are presented on pages 36–41 of
the book. Further activities involving these scientific
tools can be found in the student inquiry books.

Tools to Make and Page 37
Record Observations

Point to the photos on page
36. Read each label aloud and
have students share if they
have used these tools before.
Next, have students work in
groups to practice using a
hand lens as shown on
page 37. Have students
describe how the hand lens
changed what they saw.

Page 36

12  Grade 1  Science Methods and Process Skills

Scientific Tools, continued Tools Used
to Measure
Page 38
Page 40 Explain to students that there
are a variety of tools that can
be used to measure. Point
out the tools shown on page
38. Name each tool and ask
students to describe what
each tool is used to measure.
Explain to students that the
tools shown on this page are
not all of the tools scientists
use to measure.

Page 39 Next, have students work in
groups to use a rain gauge, as
shown on page 39.

Tools to Make
Work Easier

Point to the photos of the
different tools shown on page
40. Read each label aloud.
Next, have students share if
they have seen or used any of
these tools before. Encourage
students who have used these
tools to explain what they did
using the tools.

Next, have students work in
groups to complete the activity
shown on page 41.

Page 41

Grade 1  Science Methods and Process Skills   13

Safety in Science

Whether science exploration occurs in the classroom or in the field, it is important to stay safe.

In your science class, you will be doing many activities and investigations that will involve the use of various
materials, equipment, and live plants and animals. Although such activities present potential hazards,
reasonable safety practices greatly reduce the likelihood of accidents. When students adhere strictly to
standard safety precautions, they are unlikely to encounter any risks greater than in other school activities.
Taking care of plants and animals safely and humanely is very important in a science classroom.

Safety in the classroom is the first priority not only for the students but also for you, the teacher, and everyone
else involved.

Safety in Science

Explain to students that
scientists know that they must
work safely when doing an
investigation or experiment.
Share with students that
when they are doing an
investigation or experiment
in the classroom, it is equally
important that they be safe.

Next, read the questions on
pages 42–43 aloud to the
students. Have the students
help answer the questions.

Page 42 Page 43

14  Grade 1  Science Methods and Process Skills

Safety in Science, continued

It is important to promote safety in the science classroom. Choose from this list of those safety tips that best
fit your classroom and the science investigation or experiment being completed.

Some science safety tips include:

Be aware of students with allergies when doing investigations that involve plant or animal
specimens, latex, and other potential allergens. Take proper precautions.
Conduct all investigations and experiments yourself, prior to students doing them in class.
Look for potential safety hazards and instruct students accordingly.
Do not allow students to perform any investigations or experiments without proper
supervision. Always be sure students are aware that you’re there to help and guide them
in their investigations.
Follow instructions for use, cleanup, and disposal of chemicals and other potentially hazardous
materials. Some materials in science may be harmful to people or the environment if they are used
or disposed of improperly.
Be sure that live plants and animals are properly cared for with adequate food, water, and shelter.
Instruct students on how to properly care for and handle living things. Do not allow students to
mistreat them.
Thoroughly clean up any spills and any areas where chemicals or potential allergens were used in
an activity. Remember that residue can remain on a surface long after an activity is completed, if
not properly cleaned.
Check to make sure that any tools you are using are in proper working order. If a tool poses a
problem, or you are unsure of how to use a tool, find a solution before students work with those
tools in class.
Make sure students are dressed appropriately for each activity. Remember that safety goggles
and aprons should be provided when necessary. Keep in mind that loose clothing, long hair,
jewelry, and other items students are wearing can pose potential safety problems depending on
the activity.
Understand your school’s emergency procedures.

Grade 1 Science Methods and Process Skills 15