Engage in an authentic scientific experience that demonstrates how science evolves through evidence-based discovery. As a mystery skeleton is progressively revealed, participants use the ladder of inference—a systems thinking tool—to make their thinking visible as they move from observations to interpretations to conclusions about the animal’s identity. Drawing on their knowledge of animal anatomy and adaptations, participants form and revise hypotheses with each new piece of evidence, experiencing firsthand that changing one’s mind is the hallmark of good scientific practice. The lesson integrates literacy through the picture book “Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!”, which extends the learning by showing how paleontological understanding has evolved over time. Participants leave with a complete 5E lesson plan differentiated for PreK-12, ready-to-use templates, and strategies for helping students develop metacognitive awareness about their reasoning processes.
Facilitator: DaNel Hogan
Sponsored by: APS Foundation
- For questions regarding this resource, please contact Arizona Science Teachers Association (ASTA).
- Contact Name: Sara Torres
- Phone No: 520-709-1886
- Email Address: astaexecdir@azsta.org