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Observations and Questions

Have you ever observed a bird
in flight? An eagle can soar or
glide through the air for hours
on end. Suddenly, when it spots
prey, it will dive to catch it.
Observation is often the
first step in learning about the
natural world. Scientists are
experts in observing nature,
asking questions about their
observations, and finding the
answers.

1 What do you observe about

the bald eagle shown here?
What might you learn by
observing it over time?
2 What questions do you have
about bald eagles? How might
you learn the answers?
3 Why is it important to study
how animals live in the wild?

Scientific Explanations Bellringer LESSON 1X

 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Scientific Inquiry

Repeat several Hypothesis

Fertilizing the soil will
times to confirm supported
cause the tomatoes
to grow more quickly.

Test Hypothesis
• Design an experiment Analyze Results Draw Communicate Results
Ask Questions • Graph results Conclusions • Write science journal articles
Hypothesize • Make a model
• Make observations • Classify information • Infer • Speak at science conferences
and • Gather and evaluate
• State a problem • Make calculations • Reasoning • Exchange information on Internet
Predict evidence
• Gather information • Other processes • Other ways of exchanging
• Collect data/record
observations information
Data Table
Tomato Plant Height
Week Height (cm)
Modify/Revise 1 2.5 Hypothesis not
2 5.3
Hypothesis 3 10.1 supported
4 17.7

Scientific Explanations Focus on Content LESSON 1

 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Flat or Tilted?
To find out if this ledge is flat
or tilted, this carpenter is using a
level. A level is a bar filled
almost completely with a
colored fluid. On a tilted surface,
an air bubble in the fluid will
move to one end of the bar. On a
flat surface, the bubble will be
centered.
Carpentry depends on
measurement. So does every
field of science.

1 Do you think a window ledge

could be built perfectly flat?
2 Name a few other jobs that
depend on measurements.
Describe them.
3 Name an object. What are some
ways it could be measured?
What tools would help you
measure it?

Scientific Explanations Bellringer LESSON 2

 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Precision and Accuracy

Precise but Accurate Not accurate

Accurate not accurate and precise or precise

Scientific Explanations Focus on Content LESSON 2

 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Useful Algae
Algae are plantlike organisms.
They are used to make animal
feed, drugs, and cosmetics.
Scientists currently are
investigating ways to grow
large amounts of algae at a
low cost. If they succeed, then
algae could be used to make
economical fuels for cars
and trucks.

1 Describe the algae shown in

this photo. How are algae like
plants?
2 Why are people interested
in finding new ways to
make fuel?
3 Why are scientists concerned
about the cost of raising algae?

Scientific Explanations Bellringer LESSON 3X

 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Growing Microalgae
Scrubber removes
CO2 from smokestack
gases. The CO2 does
not pollute the CO2
atmosphere, but it is
CO2
used as a feedstock CO2
for microalgae.
CO2
Sunlight
Coal-burning CO2
electric power plant
CO2 O2

CO2 O2 O2

O2
CO2 Biodiesel

Carbohydrates Bioethanol
Microalgae
Pond with and lipids Human and
microalgae extracted livestock food
from microalgae
Pharmaceutical
Microalgae use CO2 and Harvested microalgae and cosmetic
water and make are used to make additives
carbohydrates (sugars) and several different
release oxygen. products.

Scientific Explanations Focus on Content LESSON 3

 Teacher Guide
Scientific Explanations
Lesson 1 Bellringer
Royalty-Free/CORBIS
Observations and Questions
• Observing events in nature can lead scientists to
all sorts of discoveries. For example, the Wright
brothers carefully observed how pigeons fly. They
applied their observations to design wings for their
invention—the airplane.
Answers to Questions
1 Possible answer: The eagle is soaring or gliding as
it spreads its broad wings and tail. By observing
the eagle over time, you could learn how it climbs
or dives, where it builds its nest, and how it
catches fish or other prey.
2 Possible questions: How long can the eagle stay in
the air before it must rest? How does the eagle use
its pointed beak? Why does the eagle have white
feathers only on its head and tail, and dark
feathers on its other body parts? How large an
animal could an eagle lift? To find the answers to
these and other questions, you could research
them in books, encyclopedias, or trusted web sites.
Many questions could be answered by observing
bald eagles.
3 Possible answer: As the human population grows,
the natural habitats of many animals are changing
or being destroyed. By studying how animals live,
we can take actions to help them survive.
Lesson 1 Focus on Content
Scientific Inquiry
• The transparency shows a useful series of steps for
scientific inquiry. Scientists may use a variety of
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
methods in a variety of orders. However, scientists
depend on all of the skills that the steps describe.
• Remind students that a hypothesis is a possible
explanation that can be tested. The test can
provide evidence either in support of or against
the hypothesis.
Lesson 2 Bellringer
Royalty-Free/CORBIS
Flat or Tilted?
• Students may think that scientific inquiry skills
are useful only to scientists. Remind them that
people practice these skills in a wide variety of
careers. Carpenters, for example, must make
careful observations and measurements, and they
often prepare for a job by making sketches and
building models. Science inquiry also involves
these activities.
Answers to Questions
1 A window ledge cannot be built perfectly flat.
Even the most sensitive level measures flatness
only within a certain range. One end of the
window frame will always be slightly higher
than the other, even if this distance is too
small for any instrument to measure. In
addition, the material used for the ledge is
not perfectly smooth.
2 Possible answers: Doctors depend on measurements
of their patients’ bodies, such as body temperature,
blood pressure, and weight; chefs depend on
measurements of ingredients to follow recipes; truck
drivers depend on measurements of distance along
highways; firefighters depend on measurements of
fire hoses and ladders; and farmers depend on
measurements of animal feed and fertilizers.
3 Possible answers: A bag of cereal could be
measured by weight, by volume, and by nutritional
content. A sheet of paper could be measured by
length, width, thickness, and weight. A tree could
be measured by height and trunk thickness or
diameter. Tools for measuring include a metric
ruler, meterstick, or tape measure for measuring
distance; a balance or scale for measuring weight;
and a thermometer for measuring temperature.
Lesson 2 Focus on Content
Precision and Accuracy
• In casual language, the terms precision and accuracy
are sometimes used interchangeably. However, as
the transparency shows, these terms have specific
meanings in science. Accuracy describes a
measurement that is “on target,” or close to the
accepted value. Precision describes how similar or
close measurements are to each other.
Lesson 3 Bellringer
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc./Pat Watson, photographer
Useful Algae
• In the lake shown in the transparency, much more
algae are growing along the surface of the lake
than in the water beneath it. Algae need light to
grow, and the mat of algae on the surface blocks
the light from entering the water. To grow algae
for commercial use, scientists are studying ways to
increase the amount of algae that could grow in a
body of water or inside a glass tube.
Answers to Questions
1 The algae form a green mat along the surface of
the water. Like most plants, algae are green living
organisms that depend on water, air, and sunlight.
Algae use the energy of sunlight to make food.
Unlike plants, algae lack true roots, stems, and
leaves. Most algae are very small.
2 Today, most fuels are fossil fuels, such as coal, oil,
and natural gas. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable,
meaning that once they are used they cannot be
replaced. They also have become more expensive,
and they add pollutants to the atmosphere. Clean,
more efficient fuels are needed to replace them.
3 The scientists’ goal is to use algae to meet the need
for new fuels to power cars, trucks, and other
vehicles. The lower the cost of a new fuel, the
more useful it will be.
Lesson 3 Focus on Content
Growing Microalgae
• The transparency shows a possible way that
microalgae could be produced for use in the
future. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide,
Teacher Guide continued
which would be shunted to a pond and used to
grow microalgae. The microalgae would then be
harvested and used to make fuels and other
products. Scientists are studying ways to increase
the amount of microalgae that could be grown in
the pond. This is necessary in order for the process
to be economical.

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.