1.1 Biology Notebook: Exploring Life
Note: Do not submit the guided notes as your assignment.
Page 1: Biology and a World of Science?
What are the different fields of the study of living things? Zoology is the study of animals., Botany is the study
of plants., Ecology is the study of living things in their environment., Microbiology is the study of microscopic
organisms., Biochemistry is the study of the chemical reactions in living things, Anatomy and Physiology is the
study of the human body.
Define phenomena. The interactions between living things are observable events,
Key Terms: Jot down terms and definitions that are new to you. You will see them used in the lesson.
Page 2: What is Science?
Describe each fundamental characteristic of science in your own words.
● observable: Science attempts to explain natural phenomena by analyzing and observing the world and
testing ideas about it.
● Testable: Science must be able to answer a testable question, using observation and experimentation.
Investigations must produce empirical evidence that can be observed or measured to be considered
science.
● Replicable: Empirical evidence can be replicated, or reproduced, and verified by other scientists if they
conduct the same tests.
● Reliable: The more an experiment is repeated, with the same outcomes, the more reliable the evidence
becomes. Evidence without bias also increases reliability.
● Flexible: Science is an ever-changing body of knowledge as new observations are made through
experimentation. As new information is discovered, new evidence can add to current evidence,
allowing scientists to improve their theories.
What questions can be answered by science?
● If the question is asking about an __opinion_or a ___moral value__, it cannot be measured using a
scientific process.
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, ● If the answer to the question cannot be__tested__ and _observed__ using a scientific process, it is not
considered science.
Complete the interactive. Give two examples of testable and non-testable questions:
Testable Non-testable
How long does it take water to freeze? What career should I pursue after I graduate?
How many people live in an area prone to Should mining for phosphates be stopped?
earthquakes?
Page 3: What is Not Science
Describe in your own words and give examples of pseudoscience. fake science, cannot be proven, does not
follow the scientific method
Page 4: Scientifically Reliable
Describe in your own words why reliability in science is so important. ideas are modified, expanded, or
combined to form stronger explanations. Accepted scientific ideas are reliable because they have been
subjected to rigorous testing. If new evidence is acquired or new perspectives emerge, these ideas can be
revised or replaced.
Complete the interactive. It is so important in our everyday lives to be able to evaluate if a claim is truly
scientifically reliable or not. Often, advertisements will claim to have “proven results”. Can you evaluate if this
advertisement is a reliable claim or not?
Page 5: Scientific Processes
Why are scientific investigations so important? the scientific method introduced as a series of steps in other
science courses. These steps represent the format we follow for directed laboratory investigations in science
classes and we use to write up the results of these studies.
Complete the interactive. Identify and describe each step of the scientific method.
2
Note: Do not submit the guided notes as your assignment.
Page 1: Biology and a World of Science?
What are the different fields of the study of living things? Zoology is the study of animals., Botany is the study
of plants., Ecology is the study of living things in their environment., Microbiology is the study of microscopic
organisms., Biochemistry is the study of the chemical reactions in living things, Anatomy and Physiology is the
study of the human body.
Define phenomena. The interactions between living things are observable events,
Key Terms: Jot down terms and definitions that are new to you. You will see them used in the lesson.
Page 2: What is Science?
Describe each fundamental characteristic of science in your own words.
● observable: Science attempts to explain natural phenomena by analyzing and observing the world and
testing ideas about it.
● Testable: Science must be able to answer a testable question, using observation and experimentation.
Investigations must produce empirical evidence that can be observed or measured to be considered
science.
● Replicable: Empirical evidence can be replicated, or reproduced, and verified by other scientists if they
conduct the same tests.
● Reliable: The more an experiment is repeated, with the same outcomes, the more reliable the evidence
becomes. Evidence without bias also increases reliability.
● Flexible: Science is an ever-changing body of knowledge as new observations are made through
experimentation. As new information is discovered, new evidence can add to current evidence,
allowing scientists to improve their theories.
What questions can be answered by science?
● If the question is asking about an __opinion_or a ___moral value__, it cannot be measured using a
scientific process.
1
, ● If the answer to the question cannot be__tested__ and _observed__ using a scientific process, it is not
considered science.
Complete the interactive. Give two examples of testable and non-testable questions:
Testable Non-testable
How long does it take water to freeze? What career should I pursue after I graduate?
How many people live in an area prone to Should mining for phosphates be stopped?
earthquakes?
Page 3: What is Not Science
Describe in your own words and give examples of pseudoscience. fake science, cannot be proven, does not
follow the scientific method
Page 4: Scientifically Reliable
Describe in your own words why reliability in science is so important. ideas are modified, expanded, or
combined to form stronger explanations. Accepted scientific ideas are reliable because they have been
subjected to rigorous testing. If new evidence is acquired or new perspectives emerge, these ideas can be
revised or replaced.
Complete the interactive. It is so important in our everyday lives to be able to evaluate if a claim is truly
scientifically reliable or not. Often, advertisements will claim to have “proven results”. Can you evaluate if this
advertisement is a reliable claim or not?
Page 5: Scientific Processes
Why are scientific investigations so important? the scientific method introduced as a series of steps in other
science courses. These steps represent the format we follow for directed laboratory investigations in science
classes and we use to write up the results of these studies.
Complete the interactive. Identify and describe each step of the scientific method.
2
