At a first glance, nature seems to follow simple laws that determine how every process in nature occurs. This is only an illusion. Nature is not only complex but also intriguingly original in every one of its works.
Aristotle
The song, “What Does the Fox Say?” is arguably one of the most annoying ear worms of all time. And since a fox can’t speak, only scream and bark, maybe we need to ask a different question, like “What is the fox DOING?” In this animal encounter video we look at a cool phenomena in the behavior of Red Foxes everywhere.
As you watch, take a moment to think about what you NOTICE (the observations you can make about the scene and behavior) and what you WONDER. What you wonder is another way of engaging in science inquiry. Ask the question that pops up in your brain. Can you observe more to ghet a clearer understanding? Can you investigate or experiment to help. you understand? What claim can you make about what you niotice? What evidfence is there to support that claiom? Can you explain your reasoning for choosing that evidence to support your claim?
All of these questions are examples of the way scientists think, act and practice to answer questions and develop their understanding of natural phenomena. The old school way of teaching the scientific process as a linear procedure was a misrepresentation of what scientists actually do. The new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) express this same idea in a set of practices. The goal of the practices, and this exercise, is to help devise more accurate explanations of natural phenomena.
So, What did YOU notice? What do you WONDER? Whatever it is, now go Kick Some Class!
The videos are used under creative commons license and available in the description of the YouTube video linked above.
