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Field Investigations
Field Investigations: What types of questions can learners ask about the Natural World?
Descriptive Field Investigation 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
Field Investigation Essential Question:
Research Question:
Background Information:
Hypothesis (Prediction):
Materials:
Procedure
Observe results/Record data
Summarize results
Conclusion
Discussion
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?)
- 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?
- What is the relationship between variable #1 and variable #2?
- Does ** go up when ** goes down?
- How does ** change as ** changes?
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
- What type of field investigation question are you asking? (Descriptive, Comparative, Correlation)
- Is your question testable?
- What difficulties might you run into while investigating (doing the experiment for) your research question?
- How can you quantify (put your results to numbers) your observations to answer the research question?
- What background knowledge or information helped you think of your research questions?
Field Investigation Essential Question:
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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Latest page update: made by foggybottom
, Feb 6 2009, 5:47 PM EST
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