Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 153090
Discovering the Difference between Scientific Laws and
Theories
This is an introductory lesson to Scientific Laws and Theories. At the completion of this lesson students should have a firm understanding of what
constitutes a law vs what constitutes a theory, how they are different, and what they have in common. Students will also be able to classify laws
and theories based on their own understanding of their definitions. This lesson consists of several activities including a KWL Chart, Venn Diagram,
and an Assessment. This lesson should be followed by the CPALMS lesson "So That's How Theories Are Made!" (Resource ID 154112).
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection,
Overhead Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Adobe
Flash Player
Instructional Time: 50 Minute(s)
Keywords: Laws, Theories, Scientific Law, Scientific Theory, nature of science
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Physical Science 2016
ATTACHMENTS
Classifying_Laws_and_Theories_Worksheet.docx
Classifying_Laws_and_Theories_Worksheet_KEY.docx
KWL_Chart.docx
Summative_Assessment.docx
Summative_Assessment_KEY.docx
Tutorial_Worksheet.docx
Tutorial_Worksheet_KEY.docx
Venn_Diagram.docx
Venn_Diagram_KEY.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: Learning Cycle (5E Model)
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
At the completion of the lesson, students should be able to:
differentiate between laws and theories
define in their own words law and theory
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should already know:
page 1 of 4 science is continually changing
science involves experimentation, observations, and repetition
scientific experiments and data are shared across the globe in an effort to learn new things about the world around us
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How are scientific theories and laws different?
How are scientific theories and laws the same?
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
1. Students will be asked to fill in the first two columns of the attached KWL Chart that indicate what they already know and what they want to learn concerning laws
and theories.
2. Afterward, the teacher will engage the students by having them write one thing they already know or one thing they want to know on the board. The teacher may
want to split the board into two columns so the students know where to write each one.
3. Once everyone has written something, the teacher will select some of the items they want to learn about laws and theories and talk about how they will be looking
at those in the lesson.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
Students will utilize an online CPALMS tutorial to look up definitions and answer several leading questions found in the attached Tutorial Worksheet. This worksheet
is meant to be completed as the students work through the CPALMS Tutorial Scientific Laws and Theories (Resource ID 112960).
Instructions for setting up and helping students explore the phenomenon or materials:
Teacher will need to have computers with Internet access for the CPALMS online tutorial. Students will go to the website given on the assignment and start on the first
slide. Once the students have made their way through the entire tutorial, they should have/be able to answer all the questions in the worksheet. Students may go back
and forth through the tutorial if they missed something or need further clarification.
How will students record, organize, and analyze their observations and ideas?
Students will record any pertinent data on the assigned worksheet.
How will you check for student understanding?
The teacher will use the Tutorial Worksheet Key as a formative assignment to gauge whether students recognize that there is a difference between a law and a
theory.
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
Students will then work together to fill out the attached Venn Diagram comparing scientific laws vs theories. Once completed, students will work individually to fill in
the last column in their KWL Chart.
Talking Points:
Scientific theories suggest explanations used to answer "How or why something happens."
Scientific laws describe events that occur and are usually limited to certain circumstances
Scientific laws are limited to very specific circumstances/conditions.
Scientific theories and laws are both supported by evidence.
Scientific theories and laws are both used to make predictions.
Scientific theories and laws can be proven incorrect if new data emerges that contradicts them.
Instructions for helping students communicate, justify, and refine their ideas:
Teacher will provide scissors and glue or tape for students to effectively organize their ideas in the Venn diagram.
How will you check for student understanding?
The teacher will use the Venn Diagram Key as a formative assignment to gauge whether students recognize that there is a difference between a scientific law and a
theory.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond:
Students often think that scientific laws are more supported than scientific theories. The teacher should remind students of the online tutorial they explored
previously and ask them to recall what the tutorial said (scientific laws and theories are both supported by evidence and can both be proven wrong if new data
emerges).
The teacher may choose to use the answer keys provided above to give students feedback on their responses. The teacher can address individual misconceptions if
they are present by asking probing questions to lead the students in the direction of the correct answer.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
Students work together in groups to categorize a set of sentences as either a theory or a law using the attached Classifying Laws and Theories Worksheet.
Describe a new problem/setting to which the students will apply the new concepts/skills so they can deepen their understanding:
Students will take their conceptual knowledge they have learned and test their skills at determining which statements are scientific laws and which statements are
scientific theories.
page 2 of 4 How will you check for student understanding?
The teacher will use the attached formative assignment Classifying Laws and Theories Worksheet Key to gauge whether students can distinguish between a law
and a theory. A law summarizes and a theory explains.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond:
Students will often get confused between scientific laws and theories when they try to classify them as one or the other. When this happens, have them reconsider
if the statement is providing an explanation for a specific set of phenomenon or if the statement is stating that a phenomenon occurs.
The teacher may choose to utilize the answer keys provided above to give students feedback on their responses. The teacher can address individual misconceptions
if they are present by asking probing questions to lead the students in the direction of the correct answer.
Summative Assessment
The attached Summative Assessment will ask students a series of true/false statements about scientific theories and laws.
How will you give students a chance to evaluate their own learning?
The teacher will ask students to rate themselves using a 1-4 rating scale on how well the understand the material prior to having them take the summative
assessment:
1 - I just don't get it
2 - I'm starting to get it, but I need more help
3 - I can answer any question on this without your help
4 - I am confident in my answers and could teach it to someone else
How will the students show the teacher that they met the learning objectives?
The teacher will use the Summative Assessment Key to gauge whether students understand the differences between scientific theories and laws.
Formative Assessment
Specific suggestions for conducting Formative Assessment can be found in the Explore, Explain and Elaborate phases of the lesson where it says, "How will you check
for student understanding?"
Feedback to Students
Specific suggestions for providing Feedback to Students can be found in the Explore, Explain and Elaborate phases of the lesson where it says, "Common
errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond."
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
The teacher may choose to allow students to work in groups. The teacher may also vary the way the content is presented. For example, the teacher may choose to
schedule a time to go to a computer lab and allow students to work through the CPALMS tutorial independently, assign the tutorial as a homework activity, or go
through the tutorial as a class using a projector system. The teacher may choose to complete the Venn Diagram as a class by projecting the diagram on a
whiteboard or white poster board and having the students fill in the prompts.
The teacher may also choose to block the questions into manageable chunks to help students who have low attention spans or to assist the teacher in providing
timely and effective feedback at checkpoints of the teacher's own choosing.
Extensions:
The teacher could assign a project where students investigate a law or a theory and report on their findings. The project should include a section where students
should identify if their assigned project is a law or theory and support their assumption with evidence from the lesson. If they are assigned a theory, the teacher may
also ask that the student(s) explain how that theory has changed over time.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, Overhead Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Adobe Flash Player
Special Materials Needed:
The teacher will need access to:
a computer with projector system and Internet access OR computer lab with Internet access
white poster board and markers for Venn diagram OR whiteboard and dry erase markers (optional)
formative and summative assignments and their keys (in the zip folder in the attachments section)
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Joy Harper
Name of Author/Source: Joy Harper
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Volusia
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
page 3 of 4 Related Standards
Name
Description
Recognize that theories do not become laws, nor do laws become theories; theories are well supported explanations
and laws are well supported descriptions.
SC.912.N.3.4:
Remarks/Examples:
Recognize that theories do not become laws, theories explain laws. Recognize that not all scientific laws have
accompanying explanatory theories.
page 4 of 4