Field InvestigationsThis is a featured page

Field Investigations: What types of questions can learners ask about the Natural World?

Descriptive Field Investigation Questions:
  • How many ** are in a given area?
  • How frequently does ** happen in a given period?
  • What is the [temp., speed, height, mass, density, force, distance, pH, dissolved oxygen, light density, depth, etc.] of **?
  • When does ** happen during the year? (flowering, fruit, reproduction)
  • Where does ** travel over time? (What is an animals range?)
Comparative Field Investigation Questions:
  • Is there a difference in ** between group (or condition) A and group B?
  • Is there a difference in ** between (or among) different locations?
  • Is there a difference in ** between 2 different times?
Correlation Field Investigation Questions:
  • What is the relationship between variable #1 and variable #2?
  • Does ** go up when ** goes down?
  • How does ** change as ** changes?
Dishman Hills Field Investigation Questions Here is a list of possible research questions to help guide you for your Dishman Hills Field Investigations. By reviewing this list you will be better prepared to start looking at the natural world with a more critical eye. Making observations lead to great questions. If you don’t like any of these questions you are free to develop your own based off of your prior observations to this area. Please select or create three possible questions from the physical, earth/space, and living systems lists (a total of nine possible questions).


Life Science

Plants · Do more sword ferns grow close to the water or away from the water? · Do different kinds of plants grow on north-and on south-facing slopes? · Are understory (ground) plants more dense on north-or on south-facing slopes? · Do seeds grow faster in sandy soils or in dirt soils? · Does more moss grow on logs than on live threes? · Does more moss grow on trees on north-or on south-facing slopes? · Does more moss grow on the north or on the south side of a tree trunk? · Do plants watered with tap water grow at the same rate as those watered with rainwater?

Trees · Do trees grow closer together by the stream or away from the stream? · Are mature (>30cm diameter) conifer trees taller than mature deciduous trees? · Do tree species, tree density, tree diameter, or tree height differ between north-and south-facing slopes? · Do plants growing underneath deciduous trees differ from plants under coniferous trees? · Do different amounts of rain reach the ground in open areas, under deciduous trees, and under coniferous trees?

Invertebrates · Are there more spiders on the ground or in tall bushes? · Do more ground invertebrates live near the stream or away from the stream? · Is there a difference in the number of invertebrates in a 10x10 cm area in dry soil vs. wet soil? · Is there a difference in the number of invertebrates in a 10x10 cm area in shaded soil (under a bush or tree) vs. in unshaded soil? · Do more small animals live in forests or in open fields? · Do more invertebrates live on and around deciduous or coniferous trees? · Do more aphids live on red alders or on big leaf maples? · Do more worms live on land than live by water? · Are there more ground invertebrates on north-or on south-facing slopes? · Do invertebrates under deciduous trees differ from invertebrates under coniferous trees? · Do different widths of copper strips prohibit slug passage differently?

Birds · Do bird species differ along streams and away from streams? · Do male mallards spend more time fighting with other ducks than female mallards? (Are male mallards more aggressive than female mallards?) · Do birds sing more from 8:30-9:00 a.m. or from 3:00-:30 p.m.? · Do different types of birdseed attract different species of birds? · Do different types of habitat (e.g. coniferous trees, deciduous trees, bushes) attract different species of birds?

Miscellaneous · In a park, do trash cans placed next to the parking lot collect more trash than trash cans placed next to a pedestrian entrance, away from the parking lot?


Physical Science

Sound · Are adults more sensitive to loud sounds than teenagers are? · Do plants grow more when exposed to music than when they are never exposed to music?

Light · Do plants grow faster when exposed to polarized light or to nonpolarized light?

Changes of State · Does water evaporate faster when it is in the sun or when it has a fan on it? · Does water in a can wrapped in black construction paper become hotter than water in a same-sized can wrapped in white construction paper? · Does water or soil heat faster in the sun? · Does freshwater or saltwater heat faster in the sun? · Are liquids at room temperature more dense than the same liquids heated 10ºC above room temperature?


Earth Science

Soil · Are soil temperatures on the south sides of buildings higher than those on the north sides? · Are soil temperatures in areas where water collects higher than soil temperatures in areas that are well drained · How does forest fire effect soil chemistry compared to soil not burned?

Water Quality · Is there more acid (lower pH) in the lake or in the stream? · Are streams colder than lakes? · Are there more particulates in the water at the top of the stream at the bottom or the stream, or in the lake? · Do stream temperatures differ between forested and nonforested streams? · Do stream invertebrates differ between forested and nonforested streams? · Does sediment in stream water differ above a road and below a road? · So sandy soils have a higher pH than clay soils? · Does the water quality (pH, clarity, phosphates, dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrates, sediment, and temperature) of water flowing into a lake at the mouth of a stream differ from the water quality in the middle of the lake? · Is there a difference in the after quality (pH, clarity, phosphates, dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrates, sediment, temperature) of melted snow and that of rain?


Discussion Questions

  1. What type of field investigation question are you asking? (Descriptive, Comparative, Correlation)

  1. Is your question testable?

  1. What difficulties might you run into while investigating (doing the experiment for) your research question?

  1. How can you quantify (put your results to numbers) your observations to answer the research question?

  1. What background knowledge or information helped you think of your research questions?

Field Investigation Essential Question:
Research Question:
Background Information:
Hypothesis (Prediction):
Materials:

Procedure


  • Description of study site including weather is appropriate:

  • Location, date, season, time of day measurements/observations are recorded:

  • How, when, and where observations/measurements (controlled, manipulated, responding variables) are taken:

  • How sampling/measurement method is consistent (controls):

  • Samples and /or measurements are repeated:

  • Logical steps to do the investigation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
etc.

Observe results/Record data


  • Data/observations are recorded systematically on a data collection sheet:

Summarize results


  • Averages, means, medians, percentages calculated when appropriate:

  • Organize results in tables, graphs, maps, and/or other written forms using statistics where appropriate:

Conclusion


  • Clear conclusive statement or states whether hypothesis was correct:

  • Use data to support your conclusion:

  • Explanatory language to compare supporting data to correct conclusion:

Discussion


  • Identify factors that may have affected the outcomes of research:

  • Recommendations for future research:

  • New questions:


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