Natural Science - Year I
Unit 3: Conditions for Doing Science and the Weather
Parents Guide for Unit 3
| This Unit's | Homework Page | History Lecture | Science Lecture | Lab | Parents' Notes |
For 2026: Please note that units are considered "under revision" until two weeks before the class date, and page content, web assignments, and exercises may change before that deadline.
Parents' Notes for Unit 3: Conditions for Doing Science and Weather Study
Preparation
Below are notes on the main points of each assignment.
- History Web Lecture: What were the scientific and technological accomplishments of humans in prehistoric era? What does "science" mean for this period? What are the preconditions for scientific activity? For example, can one do science in a culture that doesn't have writing, and can't record its observations? Can a person be a "scientist" if he is alone with no one to check his observations for correctness or his reasoning for validity?
On another front: We usually think of science as knowledge for its own sake, abstracted from any practical application. When all we have are the artifacts produced by a society, and no written records of its thoughts or conclusions, can we even talk about its science?
- Science Web Lecture: Students should apply the classification of cloud and precipitation types to the materials in the lecture, and use them to complete the cloud recognition exercise.
- Chat Preparation Essay: The essay question asks the student to identify the conditions necessary for carrying out scientific investigations in human societies. Students should think about how language, writing, mathematics, travel and commerce, leisure time and specialization afforded by an urban civilization makes possible philosophical pursuits, and the recording and exchange of information. Remind your student that a good answer will take some time to think through and write out: an essay answer is longer than a single sentence!
- Lesson and Mastery Exercise: There are two parts to the mastery of material in this section: a lesson which guides students through a cloud recognition material and tests them along the way, and a Mastery Exercise which covers the material more broadly.
- Discussion: Our chat will concentrate what aspects of civilization are necessary for scientific advancement. Students who have questions on any of the reading material, or on any homework questions they could not answer, should be ready to ask those questions during the chat session.
- Quiz:There is a short quiz on this unit to make sure that students understand cloud identification and humidity concepts. Note that students cannot take quizzes until they have completed the Mastery Exercise successfully.
- Lab: The lab introduces making and reading tables of data. Students need to focus on collecting and representing data in a clear manner, and interpreting the table.
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