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What does a scientist do?

What does a scientist do?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

What do scientists DO?

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Step
01/16
You’ll work with a partner.
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Step
02/16
Get your supplies.
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Step
03/16
Watch this video. Look closely to observe the termites. Discuss.
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Step
04/16
We want to experiment. Discuss.
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Step
05/16
Let’s test what happens when we change the shape of the line. This
will be our Shape Experiment.
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Step
06/16
Let’s observe what the termites do in our Shape Experiment. Watch
closely to follow the path of the termite with a circle, a square, and a
triangle.
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Step
07/16
Find the Shape Experiment in your Termite Tracker. Use your pencil
to draw the path that the termite took. Draw a path for the circle,
the square, and the triangle.
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Step
08/16
Here are the results of our Shape Experiment.
Discuss.
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Step
09/16
Here’s what we think.
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Step
10/16
Let’s test what happens when we change what we use to draw the
line. This will be our Writing Tool Experiment.
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Step
11/16
Time for our Writing Tool Experiment. We drew the same shape
using a pen, a marker, and a crayon. Watch carefully to see what each
termite does.
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Step
12/16
Find the Writing Tool Experiment on your Termite Tracker. Draw the
path that each termite took. Draw a path for the pen, the marker,
and the crayon.
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Step
13/16
Discuss.
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Step
14/16
Here’s what we thought.
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Step
15/16
Talk with your partner and discuss.
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Step
16/16
School Year Challenge: Every time you’re curious about something
and ask questions, think about what experiments you could try!
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You've completed the activity!

If you have time, you can extend this activity to include the Color Experiment. Check out the Extensions for additional activity steps.

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Step
01/20
You’ll work with a partner.
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Step
02/20
Get your supplies.
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Step
03/20
Turn your Termite Tracker facedown. Line up the corners and fold it
in half. Use your fingernail to make a crease. Fold it in half again along
the thin black line.
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Step
04/20
Watch this video. Look closely to observe the termites. Discuss.
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Step
05/20
We want to experiment. Discuss.
Full Screen
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Video trouble?
Step
06/20
Let’s test what happens when we change the shape of the line. This
will be our Shape Experiment.
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Step
07/20
Let’s observe what the termites do in our Shape Experiment. Watch
closely to follow the path of the termite with a circle, a square, and a
triangle.
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Video trouble?
Step
08/20
Find the Shape Experiment in your Termite Tracker. Use your pencil
to draw the path that the termite took. Draw a path for the circle,
the square, and the triangle.
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Step
09/20
Here are the results of our Shape Experiment.
Discuss.
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Step
10/20
Here’s what we think.
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Step
11/20
Let’s test what happens when we change the color of the line. Find
the Color Experiment in your Termite Tracker. Color the first pen
black, the second pen blue, and the third pen red.
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Step
12/20
Let’s observe what the termites do in our Color Experiment. Draw
the path that each termite took. Draw a path for the black circle, the
blue circle, and the red circle.
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Step
13/20
Discuss.
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Step
14/20
Here's what we think.
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Step
15/20
Let’s test what happens when we change what we use to draw the
line. This will be our Writing Tool Experiment.
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Step
16/20
Find the Writing Tool Experiment in your Termite Tracker. Draw the
path that each termite took. Draw a path for the pen, the marker,
and the crayon.
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Step
17/20
Discuss.
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18/20
Here’s what we thought.
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Step
19/20
Talk with your partner and discuss.
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Step
20/20
School Year Challenge: Every time you’re curious about something
and ask questions, think about what experiments you could try!
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Optional Extra: K-2 Color Experiment

If you want, you can extend the activity to include the Color Experiment for K-2. We have provided an additional printout so students can record their results.

Go to the next slide to start the Color Experiment!

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Step
01/04
Let’s test what happens when we change the color of the line. Get a
Color Experiment worksheet. Color the first pen black, the second
pen blue, and the third pen red.
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Step
02/04
Let’s observe what the termites do in our Color Experiment. Draw
the path that each termite took. Draw a path for the black circle, the
blue circle, and the red circle.
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Step
03/04
Discuss.
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Step
04/04
Here’s what we think.
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In the mini-lesson, students explore some things they do every day that scientists ALSO do: observe, ask questions, do experiments, and share their questions and learning. In the activity, Termite Tester, students virtually observe termite behavior and then do a series of virtual experiments to figure out the answers to their questions.

Preview activity
Number of students:
Termite Tracker (Grades 3-5) worksheet 1 per student
Termite Tracker (Grades K-2) worksheet 1 per student
Crayons
(For grades 3-5 only. Each student will need a black, blue, and red crayon.)
Details
3 crayons per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Creepy Crawly Caution

The observations and experiments in this activity are focused on termites. We think they’re small and cute, but if you have students who are particularly sensitive to seeing any type of creepy crawly, you may want to preview the lesson prior to presenting it to your class.

K-2 Versus 3-5 Activity

There are three experiments for 3-5 students (Shape, Color, and Writing Tool) and two experiments for K-2 students (Shape and Writing Tool). If you’d like to extend the activity to include the Color Experiment for K-2, we have an additional worksheet so students can record their results. You can find the activity steps for this extension here.

Teacher Background

If you are curious, the termites only follow ink from Bic brand pens because a chemical in the pen ink is similar to a scent that termites recognize. Termites don’t have eyes and rely on their sense of smell to know where to go! If you and your students are interested, you can even order termites online and bring them into your classroom for more hands-on experiments!

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