How Scientists Work Series What is Pattern Discovery?
How Scientists Work Series What is Pattern Discovery? Produced by Centre Communications Teacher’s Guide by Gerald O. Gunderson, B.S., Secondary Education, Comprehensive Science M.A., Biological Science and Gail Matthews Distributed by... 800.323.9084 | FAX 847.328.6706 | www.unitedlearning.com This video is the exclusive property of the copyright holder. Copying, transmitting, or reproducing in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the copyright holder is prohibited (Title 17, U.S. Code Sections 501 and 506). © 2003 Centre Communications Table of Contents Introduction to the Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Summary of the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Links to Curriculum Standards . . . . . . . . . .2 Student Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Pre-Test and Post-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Instructional Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Student/Audience Preparation . . . . . . . . . .4 Description of Blackline Masters . . . . . . . .5 Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Internet Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Script of Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 This video is closed captioned. The purchase of this program entitles the user to the right to reproduce or duplicate, in whole or in part, this teacher’s guide and the blackline master handouts that accompany it for the purpose of teaching in conjunction with this program, What Is Pattern Discovery? This right is restricted only for use with this program. Any reproduction or duplication in whole or in part of this guide and the blackline master handouts for any purpose other than for use with this program is prohibited. CLASSROOM/LIBRARY CLEARANCE NOTICE This program is for instructional use. The cost of each program includes public performance rights as long as no admission charge is made. Public performance rights are defined as viewing of a video in the course of face-to-face teaching activities in a classroom, library, or similar setting devoted to instruction. Closed Circuit Rights are included as a part of the public performance rights as long as closed-circuit transmission is restricted to a single campus. For multiple locations, call your United Learning representative. Television/Cable/Satellite Rights are available. Call your United Learning representative for details. Duplication Rights are available if requested in large quantities. Call your United Learning representative for details. Quantity Discounts are available for large purchases. Call your United Learning representative for information and pricing. Discounts, and some special services, are not applicable outside the United States. Your suggestions and recommendations are welcome. Feel free at any time to call United Learning at 1-800-323-9084. How Scientists Work Series What is Pattern Discovery? Grades 5-8 Viewing Time: 22:43 minutes with a one-minute five-question Video Quiz INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES How Scientists Work is a series of three programs designed for middle school students. This series, using junior science investigators, animation, and excellent photography explores the procedures that underlie all of science. Including both everyday and scientific examples, each program clearly delineates the procedures of: 1) pattern discovery, 2) scientific inquiry, and 3) the scientific method. Each procedure is placed in an historical context featuring key scientists and discoveries. These instructional programs teach the basic procedures scientists use to discover and explain the world around us. This Teacher's Guide and accompanying Blackline Master activity sheets provide extended practice and additional learning opportunities. SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM Patterns exist all around us. What is Pattern Discovery? traces some of the history and discusses how modern science evolved from the observation, discovery, and recognition of patterns. We use these patterns to make sense of our surroundings and scientists use them to explain the mysteries of our universe. Certain repeatable patterns in space, time, and distribution have led to major scientific discoveries. The segments in this program include: 1) Kinds of Patterns, 2) Patterns in Early Science, 3) Patterns and Modern Science, 4) Scientific Facts are Statements about Patterns, and 5) Scientific Explanations 1 are Relationships between Patterns. Students illustrate some repeatable patterns with experiments in each segment. Throughout, a narrator explains how the recognition of different kinds of patterns and their relationships to each other have led to major scientific discoveries. The material in this program will: 1. Help students become aware of patterns and their importance in modern science. 2. Demonstrate ways of recognizing and reproducing patterns. 3. Explain how pattern recognition lead to early human's survival and scientific discoveries throughout history. 4. Define different kinds of patterns and their relationships to each other. 5. Illustrate how these relationships between patterns lead to scientific explanations. LINKS TO CURRICULUM STANDARDS What is Pattern Discovery? correlates to the following science standards: National Science Education Standards, grades 5-8 Science as Inquiry Content Standard A: • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry • Understanding about scientific inquiry Earth and Space Science Content Standard D: • Structure of the Earth system • Earth's history • Earth in the solar system 2 History and Nature of Science Content Standard G • Science as a human endeavor • Nature of science • History of science STUDENT OBJECTIVES After viewing the program and completing the follow-up activities, students should be able to: • List three basic kinds of consistent patterns in nature. • Explain how pattern recognition can lead to scientific discoveries. • Provide examples of experiments with predictable outcomes that include patterns. • List examples of how early human used patterns to survive. PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test, is an assessment tool intended to gauge student comprehension of the objectives prior to viewing the program. Explain that they are not expected to get all answers correct, but they are expected to try their best. You can remind them that these are key concepts that they should focus on while watching the program. Blackline Master #2, Post-Test, can be compared to the results of the Pre-Test to determine the changes in student comprehension after participation in the activities and viewing the program. 3 INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES Before presenting this program to your students, we suggest that you preview the program and review this guide and accompanying Blackline Master activities in order to familiarize yourself with the content. Feel free to duplicate any of the Blackline Masters and distribute them to your students. As you review the materials presented in this guide, you may find it necessary to make some changes, additions, or deletions to meet the specific needs of your class. We encourage you to do this. Only by tailoring this program to your class will your students obtain the maximum instructional benefits afforded by the materials. STUDENT/AUDIENCE PREPARATION Prior to viewing the program, you may wish to give students the Pre-Test, which can help them become more aware of the scope of the program. It is important that students work through the material and familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, concepts, and theories that scientists use to understand this field. If the students have a textbook that they are following, assign the relevant reading before the lesson. As students work through the material, they will encounter a number of unfamiliar words and concepts. Most of these words are highlighted in the program. An additional list of words are provided in Blackline Master #8, Vocabulary Definitions and Fill in the Blank Activity. The program concludes with a five-question True/False Video Quiz that may be used to gauge students' comprehension immediately after the presentation of the pro4 gram. Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz, is a printed copy of the questions, which may be reproduced and distributed to the students. The answers to the questions appear in the answer key of this Teacher's Guide. DESCRIPTION OF BLACKLINE MASTERS Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test, is an assessment tool intended to gauge student comprehension of the objectives prior to viewing the program. Blackline Master #2, Post-Test, is an assessment tool to be administered after viewing the program and completing additional activities. The results of this assessment can be compared to the results of the Pre-Test to determine the change in student comprehension before and after participation in this lesson. Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz, is intended to reinforce the key concepts of the program immediately following the presentation of the program. The Video Quiz can be used as a tool to outline salient points before viewing the program. . Blackline Master #4a, Cloud Shapes and Weather and Blackline Master #4b, Cloud Pattern Chart, can be duplicated and handed out after the program to be completed at another time. This activity is designed for the class to do in groups or as individuals. The results can then be reported back to the class. Materials needed include: pen or pencil, small flag or cloth to determine wind direction, outdoor thermometer, a compass, and a duplicated copy of Blackline Master #4b, Cloud Pattern Chart. Performing this activity will reinforce students' observation of and recording of scientific patterns, as well as their ability to analyze the data they observe. 5 Blackline Master #5a, Life Patterns on the Bark of Trees and Blackline Master #5b, Lichens and Mosses on Trees, can be duplicated and handed out after the program to be completed at another time. This activity is designed for the class to do in groups or as individuals. The results can then be reported back to the class. Materials needed include: Pen or pencil, compass, magnifying glass, and duplicated copy of Blackline Master #5b, Lichens and Mosses on Trees. This activity will help reinforce the observation, data recording, and definitions of patterns. Blackline Master #6a, Changing the Pitch of a Slope, and Blackline Master #6b, Distance of Ball Rolling Down Various Slopes, can be duplicated and handed out after the program to be completed at another time. This activity is designed for the class to do in groups. Materials needed: One flat or grooved bare board, one flat or grooved board with cover, such as felt or carpeting, pen or pencil, one small ball, one medium sized ball, and one larger ball, a copy of Blackline Master #6b, Distance of Ball Rolling Down Various Slopes, and a tool to measure angles such as an angle protractor. This activity helps students to master observation, recording, using math, and understanding of the force of gravity on objects. Blackline Master #7, Discussion Questions, includes discussion questions, which incorporate the importance of pattern recognition in cross-curricular areas such as art, technology, music, and creative writing. These questions are included and may be assigned to students in groups, to individuals, or just used as brain storming sessions within the classroom. This activity opens students' minds to the recognizing patterns around them in daily life. 6 Blackline Master #8, Vocabulary List and Fill in the Blank Activity, includes a list of key vocabulary terms and their definitions. A fill in the blank activity is included in order to reinforce the meaning of some of the words. ANSWER KEY Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test 1) d 6) c 2) b 7) b 3) a 8) c 4) c 9) d 5) d 10) b Blackline Master #2, Post-Test 1) b 6) d 2) d 7) b 3) a 8) d 4) c 9) c 5) a 10) a Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz 1) True 2) False 3) True 4) True 5) False Blackline Master #8, Vocabulary List and Fill in the Blank Activity 1) Galileo 6) Andes 2) Newton 7) arthropods 3) atoms 8) prehistoric 4) continental or tectonic plates 9) Himalayan 5) trilobites 10) quartz 7 INTERNET SITES Biology4Kids www.biology4kids.com BIOLOGY4KIDS is a science site created by Andrew Rader, who has a background in both science and computers. While he graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in physiology and cell biology, he found success working with computers in the corporate world. During the time he produced commercial sites he was able to maintain his pet projects with a small group of volunteers. The most notable of these projects is the web site Chem4Kids.com. As the years passed, the original chemistry site blossomed into the four other sites that exist today. Chem4Kids, was joined by Biology4Kids, Geography4Kids, and Physics4Kids. "We think that science and technology should be fun and enjoyable. We have fun making the sites. We hope our visitors have a good time while they are here." - Andrew Rader Science NetLinks For Teachers: Includes a lesson plan navigator by grade and subject. www.sciencenetlinks.com Science NetLinks is part of the MarcoPolo Education Foundation. MarcoPolo partners, the AAAS, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council of the Great City Schools, the National Council on Economic Education, the National Geographic Society, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The MarcoPolo partnership provides free, Internet-based content across academic disciplines. Science NetLinks' role is to provide a wealth of resources for K-12 science educators, including lesson plans and reviewed Internet resources. SNL is 8 a dynamic site with new content being added on a regular basis. Contains numerous lesson plans and resources for grades K-12 science. SCRIPT OF NARRATION Science has become a dominant force in modern society. Discoveries made by scientists as have reshaped how we look at the world and have led to technological breakthroughs that have put men and women in space, cured deadly diseases, and made life easier for millions of people. Underlying many scientific discoveries are common procedures, procedures people use to make sense of their surroundings in daily life. In this program we will present a procedure called pattern discovery. PART ONE - Kinds Of Patterns Each day we observe the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. This is one of the most common patterns known to people on Earth, one of the most consistent patterns. Imagine if suddenly the sun rose and set randomly, each day it was at a different place and time. This randomness would create a very chaotic environment for much of life on Earth. Think about how a weather forecast would be impossible. Fortunately, the universe presents itself in consistent patterns. Much of science involves attempting to identify these patterns and understand the causes behind them. In fact, even our lives are made up of patterns. We sleep and wake every 24 hours. Many of us go to school or work five days a week . We breathe in and out about 10 times a minute, over and over again, thousands of times a day. You might say we are a bundle of patterns. The discovery of patterns has been the landmark of science for over 2,000 years. 9 Lets look at this arrangement of blocks. Notice how easily your mind starts discovering patterns. Patterns of color, patterns of shapes. We didn't know it, but when we were very young we were doing science. We were practicing science. Practicing our pattern recognition, and pattern building skills. Look, here's a pattern, divide this construction down the middle. Each side is a reflection, or a mirror image, of the other side. Now watch this. In this new configuration of blocks, it is no longer easy to see any clear patterns. It's a mess. Order and patterns are very much alike. Without order there are no patterns. Patterns are what we need to make sense of the world. Let's start with the idea that science looks for patterns. In the world around us, there are many kinds of animals, prairie dogs, geese, butterflies, coyotes, mountain lions, and birds. And us, humans. What's the simplest pattern we can find for all of these creatures - A pattern common to all of these animals? Well, two things: they all have a front and a back, an anterior and posterior, and they show bilateral symmetry. Each half is a mirror image of the other half. These seem like basic patterns to animals. So what can we say about patterns in general? For starters, patterns occur in space, as shapes. There are the familiar geometric forms: triangles, squares, cubes, spheres, pyramids, and circles. Most shapes are not so 10 precise: coyotes, people's faces, and trees. Each have the same basic kind of shape, but show some variation. Patterns also occur in time. A pendulum makes the same pattern as it goes back and forth. The sun rising and setting each day is a pattern in time. Here's a complex pattern in time. Rain falls to the ground; some of the water evaporates, going into the air as water vapor. In the air, the water vapor forms clouds and the clouds build up until rain falls again. This pattern in time is called the water cycle. Ecosystems are described by their distribution of plants. Savannahs are grasslands with widely spaced trees. Forests are made up of closely spaced trees. Birds of one kind hang out together in a flock. These are distribution patterns. So, these are some basic kinds of patterns. What science says is that the universe is organized into patterns, consistent patterns. Patterns in space, patterns in time, and distribution patterns. PART TWO: Patterns and Early Science Long before there were people called scientists, recognition of patterns in nature helped prehistoric people to survive. Twelve thousand years ago, hunters of big game animals such as mammoths and mastodons had to learn the eating and drinking patterns of these beasts. Knowing when a mastodon came to a watering hole provided an opportunity for the kill, a chance to provide food for everyone. Animal patterns can be observed today. Geese such as these go through yearly cycles, a pattern that is repeated each year: nest-building, rearing young, migrating south, 11 and then migrating back north to begin nesting and breeding all over again. But perhaps the most important natural pattern recognized by early people involved plants. Today we all know our agricultural plants come from seeds. Whoever first recognized this pattern was certainly one of the great scientists of all time. Here we have packages of four different kinds of seeds: peas, corn, radishes, and beans. As you can see each seed is quite different in appearance. Later, when the seeds sprout, a unique kind of plant comes up from each of the different seeds. Let's look at a number of important patterns relating to a plant's life cycle. In early times, people must have noticed that plants produce seeds, nuts, and berries at certain times of the year. For example, raspberries produce edible red fruit in early summer. It is known that people in early cultures gathered these fruits, nuts, and berries for eating. They must have also gathered seeds from corn plants. They could then store the kernels for winter food. Perhaps someone noticed in the spring that new plants grew in the place where the corn was stored. Eventually, ancient cultures must have learned what we learned, that plants that come from seeds each have a unique kind of seed. Noticing the simple biological patterns that make up a plant's life cycle was probably one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever made. These discoveries, made thousands of years ago, formed the basis of all farming, and led to people living in cities. Yet, these important patterns were recognized in a time when there were no professional scientists. 12 Then, 3,000 years ago, cultures such as the Greek and Egyptian, started formally recording observations about patterns and modern science began. Some of their discoveries included mapping the patterns of stars in the sky and the movement of the planets, and an understanding of some basic principles of physics and mathematics, principles that allowed for the building of the pyramids in Egypt. So we have seen that the discovery of many of nature's basic patterns went hand-in-hand with the advancement of human culture. Many of the basic patterns of biology, animal and plant life cycles and weather patterns, were well-known by cultures across the globe before the Greeks began the long process of building scientific knowledge. PART THREE: Patterns and Modern Science Science as we know it today began in the 17th century. Men such as Copernicus and Galileo were willing to challenge long-held ideas about the motion of the Earth, sun, and the planets. Instead of the sun and the planets revolving around the Earth, they proposed that the planets, including the Earth, revolved around the sun. When I drop this apple, it always falls to the ground - it's one of the most common patterns we know. A man named Galileo figured out that the Earth rotates around the sun in a distinct fixed pattern and I'm sure he also knew an apple always falls to the ground. What he did not know was that these two patterns are closely related. A famous 17th century scientist, Isaac Newton, was watching an apple fall to the ground when he realized there was a connection between the apple falling and the way the planets moved. 13 Newton's great discovery was figuring out that the force that guided the planets around the sun was the same force that produced the pattern of an object falling toward the Earth. This force is called gravity. Around the same time when Newton was discovering the laws of gravity, other scientists disproved the idea that everything was made up of earth, fire, air, and water. It was proposed that substances such as water, even table salt, were actually very distinct Chemical compounds compounds with unique properties that produce repeatable patterns. Part of chemistry is when something new is formed. It can occur when there is a reaction between two substances. An example would be when two elements come together to make a compound: you know, a chemical like this salt. It's made of sodium and chlorine. And these dark grains are called magnetite. They are made of oxygen and iron. In case you're wondering, magnetite can be found on the bottom of many streams, as well as on beaches. Yep, magnetite. Let us imagine we are chemists and we are running a little test. Chemists know once a chemical is made it cannot easily be broken down into different parts, but a mixture can be separated into at least two parts by some physical means. Remember, some chemical reactions occur when individual atoms or compounds come together or separate to make something new. 14 I'm putting the salt and the magnetite together. Sort of like putting salt and pepper together. Now, suppose I want to separate them again. What a pain it would be to pick them apart grain by grain. Here I have a magnet, remember? And magnetite is magnetic. So if I slide it through this pile, Voíla, I get the magnetite. There's another way I can separate the salt and the magnetite. I can pour warm water into the mixture. Watch, the salt dissolves; now I take the solution and pour it through a piece of cloth and the liquid goes into the empty beaker. See, the magnetite is on top of the cloth. In time, after the water evaporates away, the salt will once again reappear in the bottom of the beaker. One way to look at what just happened is every time a magnet comes into contact with magnetite, the little particles are attracted to the magnet, a repeatable event, a pattern. It's the same situation in dissolving the salt in water. It will happen every time. It's another pattern. If this pattern didn't occur, we would be very confused. Probably we would say it was not magnetite or salt. So we can see, even in an advanced science like chemistry, it's really about patterns. PART FOUR - Scientific Facts Are Statements about Patterns By the beginning of the 21st century, we have built up a huge body of scientific knowledge, a vast collection of facts. However, when we look closely at these facts we can see that they are really statements about patterns. Almost every day we see on TV or read in the newspaper about some new scientific discovery. Here's one that says, "New early humanoid skull found in Africa." This 15 new skull predates Lucy - the early humanoid who was once thought to be our earliest ancestor. Here are some more scientific facts: Did you know that air is made up of mostly oxygen and nitrogen? Sow bugs, or as some people call them rolly-pollies, are arthropods related to shrimp. Fish breathe with gills, not with lungs like us. Trilobites are a kind of arthropod that went extinct hundreds of millions of years ago The needles on a pine tree are actually leaves The pods, the main parts of a cactus, are not leaves but stems. Leaves contain a chemical called chlorophyll that can transform sunlight into energy that plants can use to grow This quartz crystal is made up of the elements silicon and oxygen The steeper the angle of this board the faster the marble will roll down it Some plants can be cloned by rooting pieces of them in water We all know lots of cool scientific facts. Some are fun. But if you look closely at each fact each one is really about a different pattern or points our attention to a pattern. What we may not realize is that before anybody knew about these facts, someone like you had to recognize and define what the pattern was. PART FIVE - Scientific Explanations Are Relationships Between Patterns We can start to understand how one pattern is the cause of another pattern by looking at an experiment done by Conner. Ninety-eight point six degrees Fahrenheit. I guess my body temperature is normal. Now this is a big old outdoor thermometer. It measures outdoor temperature, 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 27 degrees Celsius. Hey, I'm hotter than the air. Now, what I'm going to do is record 16 the temperature of the air at the beginning of each hour from sunrise to sunset. Then record the data in my notebook. The other task I'm setting for myself is to plot the location of the sun in the sky at the same time I record the temperature. Here's my drawing of the sun as it rose up in the east and set in the west. And here's the data on the temperatures measured each hour. You can see 100 degrees. Now I'm not hotter than the air. Looking at the numbers, the temperature goes up continually until about 5 PM, and at which point it starts going down. Conner can create a picture of what his data reveals by graphing it. He can plot time along the bottom, horizontal axis and temperature along the left side or vertical axis. Then he plots the data by placing a dot on the graph paper where each time recorded intersects with it's corresponding temperature. Once this is done, he connects the points. Here's my graph of daylight temperatures and my drawing of sun locations. As you can see there is a relationship between these two patterns. So, what is going on here? Well, the air and Earth's surface are pretty cool early in the morning and it takes a bit longer than one would think for the two to warm up. It is like a pot of cool water on a hot stove. It just takes time for the water to get really hot even though the burner is already hot, like the sun's rays. Once the sun starts to get really low in the sky, later in the day, the warm rays are not hitting the Earth as directly as they did, and it follows that the Earth's surface and air then start to eventually cool down too. 17 Another example of relationships in the world of science, this one involving volcanoes and earthquakes, was discovered almost a hundred years ago. Let's look at how this relatively recent discovered pattern answered many previously unanswered questions. People had started to realize mountain building was an active process, it had been going on for a long time, the Andes in South America and the Himalayas in India are relatively recent mountains. Whereas, the Appalachian Mountains in eastern North America are old, no longer rising. The process by which mountains grew was a mystery. People also noticed that earthquakes and volcanoes were not evenly distributed across the planet. Their occurrence fell into recognizable distribution patterns. Also, the distribution of some fossils was puzzling. Here are two trilobites that are called phacops, they come from the same time period but one was found in Iowa and one in Africa - another mystery. Then scientists proposed that over time, the continents have changed positions on the surface of the planet. This movement would explain why Africa and South America look like jigsaw puzzle pieces that fit together. Their observation that continents are always moving led to another discovery, that the interior of the Earth is hot like the sun. The moving continents would explain mountain building, watch, if my hand is the force of a continent colliding with another continent the result is an up lifted fold, just like what mountains are. My little physical model here explains the process of mountain building. The new theory led to the discovery that not only are there continental plates but there are oceanic plates as well. It is the movement of these plates' edges against 18 each other that are the cause of the earthquakes and volcanoes in areas around Los Angeles and other places along the west coast of North America. The reason this trilobite from Iowa and this trilobite from Africa are nearly identical, is because at one time, about 350 million years ago, North America and Africa were connected. We can see once again how an idea, in this case, continental drift, the movement of huge pieces of the Earth's surface, was the discovery of a pattern that answered many questions. It explained many other perplexing patterns and it led to new discoveries. It also showed once again how science is always changing, giving up old ideas for new ones. So you will find as you learn more about science that one idea will become obvious: the universe is made up of consistent patterns. It is fortunate, for each one of us; from early in our life we are able to spot patterns. This is because our brain has been set up, wired, for finding patterns in space and time. All you need to do is see that science is something you are born to do. VIDEO QUIZ Answer true or false to the following questions. 1) Pattern recognition is a procedure used by scientists to make discoveries. 2) There are patterns occurring in space but not in time. 3) An example of a distribution pattern is a forest of closely spaced trees. 19 4) Oftentimes the relationships between patterns can lead to major scientific discoveries. 5) Human brains are not structured to recognize patterns. 20 1 Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Pre-Test Directions: Read each of the following and circle the correct answer. 1. Where would the fewest patterns be discovered? a. In a forest filled with different kinds of trees. b. In an ocean. c. In the entire length of the Amazon River. d. In fields covered with wheat. 6. Science is based on patterns that are a. very simple. b. impossible to find. c. consistent. d. easy to discover. 2. Which group is part of an organized pattern used by chemists? a. Stone, rag, and leaf. b. Carbon, oxygen, and iron. c. Frog, tree, and coin. d. Glass, book, and stick. 7. Throughout the universe what would really help people discover patterns? a. Large office spaces. b. Scientific instruments. c. A lot of good luck. d. An afternoon swim. 3. The gravity that affects a falling object also affects, in the same way, the motion of the a. planets. b. hands of a clock. c. beating heart. d. wind. 8. Who would get the most use out of observing the patterns found in the natural world? a. A truck driver traveling over different roads. b. A barber cutting many different hair styles. c. A farmer planting and tending to the crops. d. A cook making lots of fancy meals. 4. More than any other job, scientists look for a. ways to make more money. b. restaurants with good food. c. patterns. d. ways to make things explode. 9. One of the early telescopes helped discover a. life on Mars. b. where the edge of the universe is. c. the tallest mountains on Earth. d. how planets travel around the sun. 5. In ancient times, patterns in nature helped people a. decide on a place to go for a vacation. b. get a job. c. build a row boat. d. find food. 10. Which one of the following examples is a pattern in time? a. Fish can swim. b. A swinging pendulum. c. Diamonds are very hard. d. Water is wet. © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 2 Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Post-Test Directions: Select the correct answer from the following: 1. As the sun rises in the sky, a common pattern that can be observed is a. there is less wind. b. the temperature rises. c. it rains. d. insects hibernate. 6. One of the earliest patterns recorded in history is the a. places where earthquakes happened. b. amount of traffic seen between towns. c. formation of mountains. d. motion of the planets. 2. Many animals have bilateral symmetry because they have: a. a skin covering their bodies from the tip of their toes to the top of their head. b. a back and belly. c. a heart that pumps a liquid. d. two sides that are mirror images of each other. 7. Which one is the poorest example of a pattern? a. The number of breaths a person takes each minute. b. The distance a person can see in the fog. c. The hours a person sleeps every night. d. The order which each chamber in the heart beats. 3. What is the pattern common to dogs, geese, and butterflies? a. They have a head. b. They can fly. c. They lay eggs. d. They have teeth. 8. Which one of the following examples is not a pattern in time? a. A pendulum swinging back and forth. b. The eating habits of humans. c. Birds singing a lot early in the morning. d. Skunks are not very smart. 4. Who spends the greatest amount of time looking for patterns? a. dancers b. joggers c. scientists d. painters 9. Telescopes are a. Most often found in the chemistry laboratory. b. not used by scientists anymore. c. scientific instruments. d. simple to make. 5. Which one of the following is the best example of a pattern? a. Clouds form first, and then rain falls from them. b. People like to get a lot of sleep during the day. c. A river flowing through a farmers potato field. d. Cutting the grass in the backyard. 10. Many of the mountains on the earth are the result of a. continents shifting. b. erosion. c. the rise and fall of tides. d. glaciers moving over the surface of the Earth. © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 3 Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Video Quiz Directions: Answer the following either true or false. 1) Pattern recognition is a procedure used by scientists to make discoveries. 2) There are patterns occurring in space but not in time. 3) An example of a distribution pattern is a forest of closely spaced trees. 4) Oftentimes the relationships between patterns can lead to major scientific discoveries. 5) Human brains are not structured to recognize patterns. © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 4a Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Cloud Shapes and the Weather Materials needed include: Pen or pencil, small flag or cloth to determine wind direction, outdoor thermometer, a compass, and the pattern chart. There is an old saying: Red sky at night sailor's delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning. The bad weather following a red sky in the morning was part of a pattern noticed a long time ago by people who went to sea. It would be interesting to see if there are other patterns to be found in what can be seen in the sky. For example, a sky can be clear or have a number of different kinds of clouds. Record the shape of clouds at least twice a day. Do this for a period of at least a week, every day. Some of the most common cloud shapes you may see are: small fluffy cumulus clouds; large fluffy alto cumulus clouds; low, flat, and spreading out stratus clouds, and high, wispy, cirrus clouds. Each time you make an observation keep a record of some of the other weather events occurring at that time, and notice the weather a day later. Wind direction, strength of wind, temperature, and kind of precipitation should be considered. For observing the wind activity, a narrow piece of cloth or small flag attached to the end of a stick could be used. Place this out in an open area. Fill in a chart like the one that is shown below, and see if you can discover what kind of weather patterns come along as the types of clouds, and other conditions change. COMPLETE THE CLOUD PATTERN CHART Here are some possible patterns that might be observed when referring back to your completed pattern chart. One or more types of clouds produced rain. Heavy or light rains came from only certain clouds. Precipitation never came from one or more types of clouds. When the wind came out of certain direction it rained steadily within a day. It rained soon after seeing one type of cloud. There are many other possible patterns that might be discovered when looking over your records. 1) Describe at least one pattern observed when a certain type of cloud was prevalent: ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Describe other patterns that you discovered from your records. Use the back of this sheet for added space record your answer. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 4b Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? CLOUD PATTERN CHART Date (2x day) Cloud Type Kind of Precipitation Wind Direction Wind Strength Temperature AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 5a Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Life Patterns on the Bark of Trees There are many different things living on the surface of a tree's bark. All it takes to discover what kind of life forms are clinging to the bark, is a closer look. Sometimes you will find different kinds of fungi (mushrooms), thin films of algae, mosses, and lichens living on the bark of trees. Fungi, algae, mosses, and lichens can be found living in many different parts of the world. They live on many different kinds of surfaces. You may know mosses are green, and are very short compared to the height of a tree. You may not know much about lichens. They look something like plants, but are not plants. Lichens are made up of two different life forms living together, which are algae, and fungi. Many lichens are thin, crusty in texture when dry, and some cling tightly to what ever they are growing on. They come in many shades of gray, some are almost black, others can be light green or even orange in color. Many of the lichen patches found living on tree bark have very uneven edges, ruffled edges. See if you can discover patterns by observing where lichens and mosses live on the surface of tree bark. It will help to use a magnifying glass. Some of the life forms you will find are small. Be sure to look at young and old trees, even different kinds of trees. Look over the entire surface, all the way around the tree, and from the ground all the way up the trunk. Once you find a tree with a lot growing on its bark you should record a number of different things in the chart below. First, record how many different kinds of lichens and mosses are observed on this tree. Next, describe the texture of the bark: smooth, a little rough, rough, very rough. Under the title "Observations" write down where the lichens and mosses were covering the greatest amount of bark. Also, if one side seemed to have more lichens or mosses, record that too. If one kind of lichen, let us say for example, a yellow one seemed to be more common three feet above the ground record that in your notes, as well. Find another tree with a different kind of bark surface, and record what is observed from the ground up into this tree. If you have time find a third tree that has a different kind of bark from the first two, and record what you discover in your observations. © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 5b Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Lichens and Mosses on Trees Diameter of tree How many different lichens? How many different mosses? What is the texture of the bark? Other observations Directions: Answer the following; you may use the back of this sheet of paper if necessary. 1) Describe a pattern where lichens or mosses seemed to thrive where they were living. (Hints: sunny side, shady side.) ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Describe a pattern where lichens or mosses did not thrive. (Hints: High up; close to the ground; or maybe too rough a surface, too smooth a surface, too sunny, too much shade.) ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3) How do you think the amount of water affected where lichens and mosses grew the best? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 4) Describe one new thing you learned about lichens and mosses living on the surface of tree bark? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 5) Because looking for patterns is about discovering something new in science, describe one other observation you made that surprised you during this activity. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 6a Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Changing the Pitch of a Slope Materials needed: One flat or grooved bare wood board or cardboard, at least three feet long, one flat or grooved wood board or cardboard (same length as flat board) with cover such as felt or carpeting, pen or pencil, one small ball, one medium sized ball and one larger ball, and a way to measure angles such as an angle protractor. One of the more obvious patterns we can witness every day, is that objects fall when dropped from any place in the Earth's atmosphere. Gravity is at every one of these places. Not only does the object fall each time, it will eventually fall faster if dropped from a higher position. This is a pattern. Here is an exercise that may demonstrate a pattern much like a falling object. Let a ball roll down a board that has had one end raised just a little bit. Record how far the ball rolls from the end of the board. Since distance shows the momentum, and thus the speed of the ball rolling, we can measure that distance as a sign of speed. If you wish, the angle of the board could be increased five degrees, each time, before the ball is released. A protractor could be used to keep the board at the proper angle, each time it is raised. Or, you could raise the board by an inch or by centimeters each time if you prefer. Now raise the board a little higher (for example, by five degrees or by a set amount of inches/centimeters each time). Now record how far the ball rolls. Keep lifting the board a little more each time before it is let go. Next, cover the board with cloth or carpeting. Repeat the same series of rolling the ball and measuring from the end of the board. How does the friction of the cloth on the board affect the distance or speed of the falling (rolling) object? Distance of Ball Rolling Down Various Slopes Variable Raised 5º Raised 10º Raised 15º Raised 20º Raised 25º Distance of small ball Distance of medium ball Distance of large ball Distance of small ball on carpeted board Distance of medium ball on carpeted board Distance of large ball on carpeted board © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 6b Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Changing the Pitch of a Slope Use the Distance of Ball Rolling Down Various Slopes Chart to answer the following questions. 1) What kind of pattern is observed here? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Would the pattern change if the ball was increased or decreased in size? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Describe the pattern change if there was one. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 4) If the ball was made of a different material, how might the pattern change? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 5) If the surface of the board were changed, would another pattern emerge? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 6) How would a carpet-covered board affect the pattern? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 7 Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Directions: Research, perform observation, and report back to the class your findings. 1) Be a Junior Scientist - Notice a pattern you see around you. Tell what kind of pattern it is: spatial, color, temporal (in time), behavioral, symmetrical, or a pattern of your choice. Discuss how you might be able to document the pattern in a repeatable manner. Can you also interpret that pattern to prove a fact? 2) Junior Scientist: One Step Beyond - This time, notice a relationship of patterns, define what kind of pattern it is, document the patterns with their relation to each other and interpret what the relationship between the patterns might indicate. 3) You probably know certain kinds of music by its rhythmic pattern. For instance, a waltz has a temporal pattern - a pattern in time. So does rock music, rap, and reggae ad other types of music Think about how you could document the patterns in your favorite song. Write down your ideas and share them with the class. 4) There are recognizable patterns in clothing styles, cooking recipes, architecture, dance, art, poetry, and many other subject areas. The list can go on and on. A computer uses a binary pattern of zeros and ones to communicate. Choose one of the above, or pick your own area where you can detect a pattern and write about what you observe. What are some of the patterns you can recognize as consistent? © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution. 8 Name ____________________ HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES What Is Pattern Discovery? Vocabulary List and Fill in the Blank Activity Andes- the principle mountains of South America and one of the greatest mountains systems of the world. It runs along the west coastline through seven countries from Panama to the southern tip of South America. arthropods- animals without vertebrae, such as insects, spiders, and crabs, that have a segmented body and jointed appendages. atoms- the smallest unit of an element that can exist alone or in combination with other elements. bilateral symmetry- symmetry in which similar anatomical parts are arranged on opposite sides of a median line, like a mirror image. chemical compounds- chemical compounds are combinations of elements. A chemical compound is a molecule. The words compound and molecule are essentially interchangeable. Molecular forces hold compounds together. The carbon dioxide molecule is an example of a compound. It is a combination of the elements carbon and oxygen. chlorophyll- the pigment found in plants, some algae, and some bacteria that gives them their green color and that absorbs the light necessary for photosynthesis. The great abundance of chlorophyll in leaves and its occasional presence in other plant tissues, such as stems, causes these plant parts to appear green. continental plates- in the theory of plate tectonics, continental plates, (also called continental crust) are the solid pieces of the Earth's crust. These plates move relative to each other. Scientists have used the movement of these plates to explain geologic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and formations of mountains, and continents. Copernicus, Nicolaus- in the 16th century, this Polish astronomer, determined that the Earth and the planets rotate around the sun. Previously, scientists thought the planets in our solar system rotated around the Earth. Galileo Galilei- Italian natural philosopher, astronomer, physicist, and mathematician born in the 16th century who made fundamental contributions to the sciences of motion, astronomy, and strength of materials and to the development of the scientific method. Himalayas- mountain range in Southern Asia on the border between India and Tibet and in Kashmir, Nepal, and Bhutan. It includes Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. magnetite- mineral and common ore of iron. It occurs as a strong natural magnet. oceanic plates- oceanic plates (also called oceanic crust); are generally thinner and younger than continental plates and are constantly being produced at the bottom of the ocean. Newton, Isaac- Isaac Newton discovered that gravity is a force that acts at a distance and attracts bodies of matter toward each other. The amount of mass and the force of gravity from the Earth give an object its weight. The laws of gravity determine how fast objects will fall. Isaac Newton determined the laws of gravity around 1680. prehistoric people- a common term for a variety of cultures from ancient times. It usually refers to peoples who lived before written history. quartz- a mineral made of silicon dioxide and the second most common of all minerals. symmetry- having corresponding points whose connecting lines are bisected by a given point, for example, both sides are the same. trilobites- extinct marine animal having the segments of the body divided by furrows on the back, which is divided into three sections. Fill in the Blank... with the correct word from the vocabulary list. Not all the terms are used. 1) A major scientist and mathematician from 16th century Italy who conducted experiments in gravity, such as the speed of falling objects, and who agreed with Copernicus that the Earth orbited around the sun, was named ______________. 2) ___________ determined the laws of gravity around 1680. 3) _________ are the smallest units of an element. 4) ______________________ are solid pieces of the Earth's crust which move in relation to one another. This movement can cause mountain formations, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. 5) _________________ are extinct marine animals whose backs are divided into three sections of furrows. 6) The __________________ Mountains run along the western coast of South America. They were probably formed when two tectonic plates gradually moved together pushing the Earth's crust upward. 7) Animals without vertebrae and with segmented limbs are called ____________________. 8) A common phrase for people of ancient times is __________. 9) The ___________________ Mountains are in Asia and include Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. 10) The second most common mineral in the world is ______________, made of silicon dioxide. © 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
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