KS4: Ideas and Evidence in Science and Nature

How has evolution shaped life on Earth?

How can we answer scientific questions when we cannot investigate them for ourselves?

Many questions about science and the natural world cannot be answered through our own observations or experiments. Instead, we need to consider the ideas developed by experts and the evidence they have gathered.

This taught session introduces students to some familiar questions from a museum setting, such as: What did dinosaurs look like? or how old is the Earth?

Using these examples, students explore what makes a scientific idea convincing and reliable. They consider questions such as:

  • Is the idea supported by a substantial body of reliable evidence?
  • Has the evidence and interpretation been scrutinised by independent experts?
  • Are scientists clear about the limitations of their understanding and the gaps or uncertainties in the evidence?

Students then apply these ideas to more contemporary questions, including:

  • To what extent is human activity affecting our climate and biodiversity today?
  • How might human activity affect climate and biodiversity in the future?

The session concludes by considering why confidence in well-supported scientific evidence matters when we are trying to understand and respond to climate and biodiversity challenges. Students will also explore how this approach to evidence underpins the museum’s own work in these areas.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, students will be able to:

  1. Explain how scientific understanding is developed from evidence, particularly when direct observation or experimentation is not possible.
  2. Evaluate the reliability and strength of scientific evidence by considering the quantity and quality of evidence, independent scrutiny, and the limitations and uncertainties involved.
  3. Explain why robust scientific evidence is important for decision-making, particularly when responding to current and future climate and biodiversity challenges.
  4. Develop curiosity about real objects and understand why they are collected, cared for and displayed in museums.