Nature of Science Card Exchange “Game” Presentation & notes

1. Nature of Science Card Exchange “Game” Presentation & notes • Created by Kaatje Kraft in conjunction with Communication in Science Inquiry Project team (NSF grant #0353469) • Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ 85202. Email: k.kraft@mail.mc.maricopa.edu • Goals: • Introduce students to the process of science (especially the context of geoscience) • Introduce the notion of self-reflection both pre & post in learning activities • Provide feedback to the instructor to gain an understanding of class background knowledge and needed areas of emphasis for the coming semester. • Establishing classroom norms for a scientific classroom discourse community.

2. Understanding the Nature Of Geoscience

3. Nature of Science Reflection In your Notebook, answer the following questions: What is the nature of science and how is it done?

4. Phase 1: 5 Minutes • Select 5-6 cards from the pile at your table. • Read through the cards and determine which ones you agree with and which ones you don’t.

5. Phase 2: 5 Minutes • Form pairs. • Compare your cards and select 4-6 with which you both most agree. • Each person must contribute at least 2 cards. • Set aside the remaining cards.

6. Phase 3: Collaborative Write (20 minutes) • Find another pair to form a group of 4. • As a foursome, select ~6 cards with which you most agree (each pair must contribute at least 3 cards). • Set aside the remaining cards • As a group, construct a group paragraph (or paragraphs) that describe the nature of science & how science is done. • Write your paragraph on one of the provided white boards.

7. Phase 3: Collaborative Write (20 minutes) Performance Expectations for Collaborative Write: •As a group construct a paragraph answering the question, what is the nature of science and how is it done? • All group members should participate in the writing of the paragraph. Do not rewrite the statements on the cards verbatim, write the ideas in the group’s own words as much as possible. • This is an informal writing activity; however, be sure to use complete sentences. Also, try to be clear and concise in your description. • Everyone should have the same paragraph as their group members in their notebook.

8. Nature of Geoscience Reading • Read through the passage provided (pages 195-202) from Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” • Thinking Questions • What “steps” did the geologists go through to develop their ideas? • How did the geologists communicate their findings? • How did they get a sense of what happened even though they weren’t there to witness it? • Can they prove their answer? How certain are they with their answer?

9. Important Vocabulary • A scientific theoryis a general framework of principles, hypothesis, models, laws, etc that explains a natural phenomena and has predictive value. • A hypothesis is a testable statement that attempts explain a phenomena or answers a question. • Hunh? Talk with your neighbors, and put this definition in your own words. Feel free to use specific examples to help support your definition.

10. Nature of Science Reflective Prompt After thinking, talking, and writing about the nature of science (and geoscience), has your understanding of the nature of science changed? If so, how and why?