The Tools and Techniques of Field Work

Grade Level: 6-8

Introduction: Students will visit multiple hotspots in the panoramas as they work to answer the question: How do scientists collect data in the cloud forest?  Students will describe the techniques they encounter and link these to the tools used and types of data collected.  They will also consider how different components of the research correlate to the stages of the inquiry process.

Objectives: Students will be able to: (1) summarize the stages of scientific inquiry; (2) describe several ways in which scientists conduct research in the cloud forest; (3) evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various data collection techniques and tools; (4) relate a research question to the types of data scientists need to collect.

National Science Standards: Understandings about scientific inquiry (A); understandings about science and technology (E); science and technology in society (F); science as a human endeavor (G).

Time: 60 minutes (15 minutes for opening, 5 minutes to read handout, 35 minutes to work on handout, 5 minutes for closing/assessment)

Related Plans:

1. Tools and Techniques of Field Work
2. Science and Hypothesis Testing
3. Cloud Catching
4. Measuring Light in the Cloud Forest