Lesson 2
What Inquiry Skills Do Scientists Use?
Learning Goals:
 Observe the effects of changing a variable.
 Describe how inquiry skills organize the way in which people gather
data.
 Explain the difference between an investigation and an experiment.
Notes:
 Inquiry skills are different ways of thinking about a topic. The different
names of the skills are reminders of all the different ways of studying a
subject. Using as many skills as you can will help you think of
possibilities that you might otherwise not consider.
 Many of the inquiry skills depend on one another. For example, before
you can categorize or order, you have to compare. Similarly, you can’t
communicate data until you gather it.
 Before you can experiment, you must hypothesize and identify/control
variables. The hypothesis states which variable will be tested.
The difference between an investigation and an experiment:
 Investigation--The activity you completed on the previous page was an
investigation. When you are conducting an investigation, you are
gathering information to answer to a question. It often involves
measurement.
 Experiment—The word experiment comes from the Latin word
experimentum, meaning to try. When you are conducting an
experiment, you are following the steps of the scientific method.
Before you can experiment, you must hypothesize and identify/control
variables. The hypothesis states which variable will be tested.