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HISTORY & NATURE OF SCIENCE

Pre-K to 5th Grade

Science as a human endeavor
History of science

The following benchmarks should be incorporated into the lessons taught during Physical, Life, and Earth units. These benchmarks should not be taught as separate skills.

ALL GRADES	history and nature of science: science as a human endeavor & the history of science
understandings: People have been using science as a method of looking for patterns in an effort to find answers to questions they have about the world around them. Science is an ongoing endeavor than is never finished since after one question is answered to some degree of satisfaction, the result is that there are even more questions later. For the most part, scientists investigate questions for which they can devise tests, which are designed and based on previously gained knowledge.
essential questions: How has long has science been practiced by people and what knowledge have we gained from their experiences? What questions do I have after completing the investigations in which I have participated? How do my conclusions, the results of investigations in which I have participated, compare to what scientists before me have learned? Why is sharing my findings with other scientists so important?
benchmarks	clarifying examples and/or vocabulary	best practices and/or lesson ideas	notes
Describe and gives examples of how science and technology have been practiced by men and women for a long time and what contributions that they have made.	Bibliographies, Timelines Make connections between one technological development to another (How was Napoleon important to the development of the modern computer? Answer: Napoleon's troops in Egypt buy shawls and start a fashion craze. In Europe the shawls get made on automated, perforated-paper-control looms. This gives an American engineer Herman Hollerith the idea to automate calculation using punch cards. Which get used to control ENIAC, the first electronic computer - from http://www.k-web.org/).	Whenever doing a unit look for connections that can be made to cultures or individuals from the past (e.g. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Mayans, Europeans). Include language arts lessons on how to write biographies on Who’s Who of scientists.
Conclude that science will never be finished.	Experiments always yield more questions at their conclusion.	After completing an investigation, discuss if all questions related to it have been answered or are there new questions to be answered through new investigations.
Describes how scientific investigations involve asking and answering questions and comparing the answers to what scientists already know.	Review Science Inquiry Standard and benchmarks. Examine history to find examples of how scientists have used information gained from others before them (e.g. Galileo did experiments that yielded results that were useful to Newton). Why is sharing information important with other scientists? (e.g. What if Newton had not shared his ideas so that others could build on them just as he had built upon the ideas shared by Kepler and Galileo?)	After asking and answering a question that students have investigated, compare this to what scientists have already learned by reading books (e.g. after plants died when they didn’t get water, compare this to what gardening books tell us about watering plants).