Family Science Learning Overview
Now that you have looked over all of the data that you’ve gathered through your investigations, it’s time to return back to your initial models from LE 6.B.1 to see what you’ve learned, what else you need to learn more about, and if you’re ready to take action.
Working with models helps scientists and science learners visualize their thinking and better understand the kinds, relationships, behaviors, and various scales being explored. Scientific models are dynamic and change based on new information learned through investigations of phenomena, discussions and deliberations with others like family and community, and media of various types.
One of the most important things about returning to your initial model is that your ideas can change as you gather evidence and do investigations. You can form new knowledge in science!
Overview
This activity has 2 parts:
- Part 1: Return back to your initial model from LE 6.B.1. What relationships did you draw in that model? What relationships have you learned more about now? What do you still need to learn about in order to keep exploring your “Should We” question?
- Part 2: Make a decision:
- Does your family want to do more research?Go back to LE 7 to collect more data.
- or, are you ready to take action on your “Should We” question and share what you’ve learned with your community? Move on to LE 10.
What Can You Do To Support Learning?
- Returning to your model is an important scientific practice. Models help scientists reflect on what they have learned, predict what might happen, and think about what we want to learn next. If your family is having trouble reflecting on how to add to or change your initial model, here are some questions to help think it through:
- What “Should We” question were we asking? Why was that important to our family and community?
- What relationships did we originally draw in our model? What new information about these relationships do we have now?
- What relationships did we draw in our original model that we still need to learn more about to help us explore our “Should We” question?
Activity Sheet
Connecting with Other Families
If you’re collaborating with other families, you can look over your models together! Ask another family to see if they think you still need to find out more information before you take action. They might even have some ideas about what investigations you can do next based on their own areas of expertise!
Connect to Other Activities
- 6.B.1: Pick a “Should We” Question, Explore It, and Model It
- 8: Summarizing and Visualizing Field-Based Data
Learning in Places Frameworks to Consider
- Modeling Socio-Ecological Phenomena
- Relationships in Socio-Ecological Systems
- Socio-Ecological Decision-Making and Ethical Deliberation
