Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. Design and conduct a scientific investigation. X A Elaboration Students should develop the ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined questions. An important aspect of this ability consists of students' ability to clarify questions and inquiries and direct them toward objects and phenomena that can be described, explained, or predicted by scientific investigations. Students should develop general abilities, such as systematic observation, making accurate measurements, and identifying and controlling variables.
Ability Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data. . .
The use of tools and techniques, includ- ing mathematics, will be guided by the question asked and the investigations students design. Students should be able to access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data, using hard- ware and software designed for these purposes. Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations. Students should begin to state some explanations in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.