Science Skills Every Student Needs: Graphing, Scientific Method, and Data Analysis

Science classes can be crammed so full of facts and memorization that we lose sight of what science is really all about. Science is about discovery and inquiry. Science is about investigation. Science is about applying a method to solve problems and answer questions.

After more than 30 years of teaching science, I have learned something very important. Students are far more successful when they learn science skills first and content second. When students know how to graph, analyze data, interpret results, design experiments, and think critically, the facts make much more sense and are easier to remember.

Science skills such as graphing, data analysis, and the scientific method are the foundation of every successful science classroom.

When I first began to teach, I thought long and hard about what type of science teacher I wanted to become. In my years of schooling, I had science teachers who never did an experiment and made me memorize a bazillion facts that I forgot as soon as I took a test. I also had science teachers who set me on fire with curiosity and a desire to learn more. I wanted to become a teacher like this.

Why Science Skills Matter More Than Memorization

It is important to make your science class lab based and inquiry driven. As a biology teacher, I know that biology is full of facts and details. I still teach those facts, but they are mixed in with as many science skills as possible. No matter what the topic, students can graph, analyze, predict, compare, and describe.

Students need to be taught to design and carry out a controlled experiment. At every opportunity, I ask my students, “What do you think would be the effect of changing this variable?” As often as possible, we go to the lab to see if their predictions can be proven or disproven.

Science skills like measurement must be practiced repeatedly, not taught once and forgotten.

Standardized testing in science has changed over the years. Students are no longer just expected to recall facts. They must read and understand scientific passages, interpret graphs and charts, analyze data, and apply reasoning. If we are not teaching these skills to our students, then we are not truly preparing them for success.

Please do not think I am a proponent of teaching to the test. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you are teaching problem solving, critical thinking, and science reasoning skills, your students will be better prepared for both class and life.

Science Skills Every Student Should Learn

These are some of the foundational skills that make the rest of the school year go more smoothly:

• Graphing and data analysis
• Experimental design and controlled experiments
• The scientific method and problem solving
• Metric system and measurement
• Scientific notation and math skills
• Interpreting charts, graphs, and data tables
• Using lab equipment correctly and safely

Strong lab skills early in the year set students up for success in every investigation.

If you want to read more about these essential science skills, you may also like these related posts:

17 Essential Science Skills All Students Need
5 Skills Your Science Students Need and Why They Matter
Science Skills: Comparing and Contrasting
Science Skills: Teaching the Metric System
Science Skills: Scientific Notation

How to Teach Science Skills in Your Classroom

If you are wondering how to get started, the best approach is to teach these skills early and then keep revisiting them all year long. Spend time at the beginning of the year on graphing, metric measurement, scientific method, experimental design, and science math skills. That investment will pay off over and over again.

Students build deeper understanding when they graph and analyze their own data.

These blog posts can help you teach specific science skills in a practical, classroom tested way:

Graphing in the Science Classroom
Applying the Scientific Method
How to Teach Your Students to Design an Experiment

What I Have Learned After 31 Years of Teaching Science

• If I teach the necessary skills first, the facts will fall nicely into place.
• Spending extra time at the beginning of the school year on graphing, metric system, experimental design, scientific method, and math skills such as scientific notation and dimensional analysis will make the rest of the school year much easier.
• The skills we teach in science class are lifelong skills. By teaching critical thinking and problem solving, we are preparing students to be competent in whatever they decide to do as adults.

Classroom Tested Science Skills Activities

If you are a biology or life science teacher who is looking for ready to use activities, these science skills resources can help you teach graphing, scientific method, measurement, lab equipment, and data analysis in meaningful ways.

Science Tools and Skills Bundle
A complete collection of science skills activities covering graphing, metric measurement, scientific method, and other essential beginning of the year science skills.

Graphing PowerPoint and Notes
Help students learn how to organize data, create graphs, and interpret results with guided notes and graphing practice.

Scientific Method PowerPoint and Notes
Teach the steps of the scientific method, variables, and experimental design with clear explanations and student friendly notes.

Science Skills Chat Lab Stations
Give students hands on practice with science process skills including graphing, measurement, lab equipment, and scientific method.

Scientific Notation Unit Bundle
Strengthen science math skills with activities and lessons that help students become more confident with scientific notation.

Scientific Method Lab Activity: Student Designed Controlled Experiment
Give students the opportunity to plan and carry out their own controlled experiment while applying the scientific method in a real way.

Lab Equipment Color by Number Activity
Reinforce lab equipment names and functions with an engaging review activity that works well at the beginning of the year.

Science teaching is about more than helping students memorize information for a test. It is about helping them think, question, investigate, and communicate like scientists. When we teach science skills first, we help students build a foundation that supports everything else we teach.