Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

Inquiry Warm-Up, Exploring Science
In the Inquiry Warm-Up, you investigated how to model wave action on a beach. Using
what you learned from that activity, answer the questions below.

1. OBSERVE What is one qualitative observation you made during this

experiment?

2. PREDICT What would happen to the waves if you moved the tongue
depressor faster? What would happen to the beach?

3. DRAW CONCLUSIONS What can you tell about the effect of ocean
waves on beaches from this model?

4. POSE QUESTIONS Write one question about waves and beaches that
you have after conducting this experiment. What sources might you
use to research the answer?
 Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

What Are the Skills of Science?

1a. REVIEW Why do scientists make models?

b. CLASSIFY Identify each statement as an observation (O) or an

inference (I).
The cat is fat. ____
The cat likes food. ____

I get it! Now I know that the skills of science include

I need extra help with ______________________________________________________________

Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

On a separate sheet of paper, give a definition of science and summarize the skills of
science.
 Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

Understanding Main Ideas
Answer the following questions in the spaces provided. Use a separate sheet of paper if
you need more room.

1. How do scientists gather information about the natural world?

2. What are the three basic steps that scientists use to conduct a scientific investigation?

Building Vocabulary
Match each term with its definition by writing the letter of the correct definition in the
right column on the line beside the term in the left column.

a. making a statement or a claim about what will happen in

3. ___ science
the future based on past experience or evidence
4. ___ observing b. an observation that cannot be described or expressed in
numbers
5. ___ quantitative observation
c. the way in which scientists study the natural world
6. ___ qualitative observation d. comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion
about them
7. ___ inferring
e. using one or more of your senses to gather information
8. ___ predicting f. creating representations of complex objects or
processes
9. ___ classifying
g. explaining or interpreting the things one observes
10. ___ making models
h. a way of learning about the natural world
11. ___ evaluating i. grouping together items that are alike in some ways

12. ___ scientific investigation j. an observation that deals with numbers or amounts
 Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

During a series of deep-water dives to the reefs off Key Largo, a scientist videotaped
several parrotfish in their natural habitat. Later, viewing the videotape, the scientist
wrote out her notes. Read the list of entries from the scientist’s field notebook. Then
answer the questions that follow on a separate sheet of paper.

Quantitative and Qualitative Observations

June 11, 2010, 9:35 a.m., video tape 06112010 off Key Largo

01 rainbow parrotfish A with bright orange and green color

02 rainbow parrotfish A elongated body
03 rainbow parrotfish A approximately 1.1 meters long
04 parrotfish B blunt-headed
05 parrotfish B smaller than parrotfish A
06 parrotfish B approx. 12 kilograms
07 parrotfish B remains nearly still while scraping jagged, roughly textured rock
formation
08 body of parrotfish B features large scales
09 bright blue beak of parrotfish B shaped like bird’s beak
10 parrotfish C approx. 50 centimeters
11 parrotfish C is species queen parrotfish (Scarus vetula)

1. Which entry items in the list are qualitative observations?

2. What quantitative observation was made about parrotfish B?
In which entry does it appear?
3. Which sense did the scientist use to make these observations? Why
were other senses not used to observe the parrotfish habitat?
4. Which entry item is an inference based on observation? Explain.
 Name Date Class

The Skills of Science

If the statement is true, write true. If the statement is false, change the underlined word
or words to make the statement true.

1. ______ A/An quantitative observation deals with descriptions that cannot be expressed in
numbers.

2. ______ Predicting is the grouping together of items that are alike in some ways.

3. ______ Using one or more of your senses to gather information is called classifying.

4. ______ Making models involves creating representations of complex objects or processes.

5. ______ Evaluating involves comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion about
them.

Fill in the blank to complete each statement.

6. A/An ___________________ observation deals with numbers, or amounts.

7. When you explain or interpret the things you observe, you are ___________________.

8. ___________________ is a way of learning about the natural world.

9. Observing, inferring, predicting, classifying, evaluating, making models, and

conducting scientific experiments are important ___________________.

10. A/An ___________________ is the way in which scientists study the natural world.
The Skills of Science
Answer Key

1. Sample: Some of the sand moved from the

beach into the water.
2. The waves would be bigger, faster, and
stronger. The sand would move away from the
beach more quickly.
3. When waves crash on the beach, they carry
some of the sand from the beach out deeper
into the ocean.
4. Sample: How do hurricanes affect ocean
waves? I would research hurricanes in library
books.
1. Entries: 01, 02, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 11
2. Parrotfish B is approximately 12 kilograms; It
appears in entry 06
3. Sight; Because the observations occurred
underwater, the scientist could not hear, smell,
or taste while in the parrotfish’s natural
habitat.
4. Entry 11; The scientist interprets the appearance
and behavior of this organism and infers that it
is a particular species.

Science is a way of learning about the natural

world. To study the natural world, scientists use 1. qualitative 2. Classifying
skills such as observing, inferring, predicting, observation
classifying, evaluating, making models, and 3. observing 4. true
conducting scientific experiments.
5. true 6. quantitative
7. inferring 8. Science
9. skills of science 10. scientific
1. Scientists use one or more of their five senses investigation
to observe the natural world and gather
information about it.
2. To conduct a scientific investigation, scientists
ask a question, figure out a way to
find the
answer to the question, and perform
the
actions necessary to find the answer
to the
question.

3. h 4. e
5. j 6. b
7. g 8. a
9. i 10. f
11. d 12. c