The key to inquiry investigations How we do science… The key to inquiry investigations

Asking the right questions related to scientific inquiry Questioning… Asking the right questions related to scientific inquiry

Questioning Skills Scientific questions need to be answered by observations or evidence If questions cannot be answered by gathering evidence, it’s not science They should identify a relationship or a factor you can investigate

Hints to help! If your questions are general, break them down into questions that can be investigated one at a time A good question is structured as follows: ‘‘What is the effect of increasing/decreasing ____________ on ______________.”

Example What is the effect of increasing the amount of water on how tall a plant will grow?

Writing A Proper Hypothesis Using the “If / Then” Method

Parts of the Statement Independent Variable: The condition being studied. It is controlled by the experimenter. ex. Water Dependent Variable: The condition affected by the independent variable. It can’t be controlled by the experimenter. ex. Plant Growth Control Variable: Other factors that could affect or be affected by the experiment. Try to eliminate or reduce these variables. Control: The condition that is represented in a ‘normal’ situation (what happens with no manipulation).

What kinds of variables? Most common are: Time, temperature, length, width, height, mass, volume, distance, number, and kinds of substances being used in the experiment.

Steps to Writing the Hypothesis Start your sentence with the word “If” Write down the independent variable Connect statement with is increased/decreased/stays the same Write down “then” followed by the dependent variable will increase/decrease/stay the same. Write a rationale for your hypothesis.

Example of the format of a hypothesis Ex. If section: If the amount of water is increased Ex. Then section: then the height of the plant will increase. Final “If / then” statement: If the amount of water is increased then the height of the plant will increase. Rationale: Plants need water to grow so increasing water will increase growth.

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