National Standards Grades K-4 Herschel Infrared Experiment

National Science Education Standards K-4

CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to do Scientific Inquiry

1. Ask a question about objects and events in the environment
   
2. Plan and conduct a simple investigation
   
3. Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses
   
4. Use data to construct a reasonable explanation
   
5. Communicate investigations and explanations
   

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

1. Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientists already know about the world.
2. Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses.
3. Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations.

CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science

Properties of Objects and Materials

1. Objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances. Those properties can be measured using tools, such as rulers, balances, and thermometers.
   

Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism

1. Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Light can be reflected by a mirror, refracted by a lens, or absorbed by the object.
   
2. Heat can be produced in many ways, such as burning, rubbing, or mixing one substance with another. Heat can move from one object to another by conduction.
   

CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology

Understanding about Science and Technology

1. People have always had questions about their world. Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world.
   
2. Tools help scientists make better observations, measurements, and equipment for investigations. They help scientists see, measure, and do things that they could not otherwise see, measure, and do.

CONTENT STANDARD G: History and Nature of Science

Science as a Human Endeavor

1. Science and technology have been practiced by people for a long time.
   
2. Men and women have made a variety of contributions throughout the history of science and technology.