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Science Launch G3 / Week 06 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 06 · Family Traits

Wednesday

Bean data
// Like parent, like young
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Bean Data

Rocket pours a handful of dry beans onto a plate. "They are all the same," he says.

Raven picks up two. "Are they? What do you notice if you look closely?"

Nova shines her light across the plate. "Measure them," she says. "Data will tell you."

Rocket grabs a ruler. "Let's see what happens!"

Your investigation

All these beans came from the same kind of plant. You will measure them to look for differences.

  • Ten dry beans, all the same kind
  • A ruler with centimeters
  • A plate
  • A pencil
Safety first
Beans are for measuring, not eating. Nothing goes in your mouth.
Keep small beans away from babies and toddlers.
Wash your hands when you finish.
  1. Line up your ten beans on the plate.
  2. Measure each bean from end to end with the ruler.
  3. Write each length in the table.
  4. Sort the beans from shortest to longest.
  5. Look for other differences, like color or spots.
MAKE A PREDICTION
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Will all ten beans be exactly the same length?
BeanLength (cm)Color or markings
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
What we foundTrue or false?
Beans of the same kind can be different lengths.?
A ruler helps us collect data.?
Small differences mean the beans are different kinds.?
WHY THIS EXERCISELiving things of the same kind still have small differences.

Make sense of your data

Look at the lengths in your table. Find the shortest and the longest.

The beans are the same kind, but their lengths vary. That is real data from your own hands.

READ YOUR BEAN DATA
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
To find the longest bean, what should you look for in your table?
Your beans are different lengths. Are they still the same kind of bean?
What tool did you use to collect length data?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA ruler measures length, so it helps us collect data.
Bean dataTrue or false?
Measuring each bean gives us data.?
All ten beans must be exactly the same length.?
Sorting beans from shortest to longest helps us compare.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEMeasuring and sorting show the variation among beans of one kind.

Great measuring! Tomorrow we learn a word for those small differences.

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