The Scientific Method

The scientific method isn't just used in science! People use it everyday without realizing it.  Our homework was reading background information about Antony Van Leeuwenhoek, the father of microscopy, and using context clues and inferences to answer questions. One of the questions on the homework is "how did he [Van Leeuwenhoek] use the scientific method? This was challenging for many students because the reading did not say specifically, but rather relied on inferences and a knowledge of the scientific method.  We are reviewing the scientific method today, please look at the link below and relate something you do daily to the scientific method.

Scientific Method Steps

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

Forces: Cause & Effect

Below is a link to a youtube video showing sky divers.  Every step and action taken has a cause and effect relating to force.  Before watching the video, write all the cause and effects you can think of.  We will watch the video and compare our predictions to what actually happens. Scientists make predictions everyday, and to make those predictions they rely on their schema & resources around them to predict outcomes.  It is ok not to be correct when predicting.

Scientific Eye Parachute Forces Clip

Gold & White or Black & Blue?

The dress on facebook has created a debate: what color is that dress? There have been articles and opinions that have created misconceptions about light, translations to the brain, and the color spectrum. This dress is a great example of an optical illusion.

New York Times Article



NBC News Video Clip

Optical Illusion

How many black dots do you see below? Look carefully, the answer may surprise you.

What is an optical illusion? Optical illusions are caused by a mismatch of what the eyes see and what the brain interprets