Science
Process Skill

Definition

observing

Using one or more of our senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching) to find out about objects, events, or living things.

communicating

Giving or receiving information so that someone else can interpret it accurately.  Examples include: oral or written communication, charts, diagrams, drawings, graphs, maps, photographs, pictures, reports, symbols, or tables.

measuring

Accurately comparing something to standard or nonstandard units.  The basic units for measuring are length, mass, and time.  Sometimes estimation may be used, too.

collecting data

Systematically collecting accurate and clear observations and measurements.

classifying

Using observations to group objects or events according to similarities and differences.

ordering

Organizing objects or events based on a chosen characteristic or sequence.

inferring

Using past experiences to draw conclusions and make explanations about events not directly observed.

organizing data

Recording collected data in a chart, diagram, graph, map, report, or table to share it with others or to use it to answer questions.

predicting

Making a forecast about what will happen in the future.  Predictions should be based on prior knowledge gained through experiences and collected data.

identifying variables

Deciding what may affect the outcome of an event while everything else is held constant.

designing an experiment

Planning how to investigate, manipulate materials, and test hypotheses to  find a result.

forming an hypothesis

Stating a problem to be solved as a question that can be tested by an experiment.