Home Comfort A Model of the Scientific Method

Why are we learning this??  Summer time spent with WellHome.  Home Energy Audits and Installation company

Doodle Sheet A  Answer these questions on your doodle sheet.  Is your home comfortable (temperature)? Is it too hot during the summer and too cold during the winter? Why do you think it is comfortable or too hot or too cold?

Doodle Sheet B  Write 4 questions about insulation on your doodle sheet.

Problem:  When spraying in insulation in a roof for a client, there was a problem. When the insulation was installed there was room to move around in the attic. The $ worth of insulation was removed and replaced. How do we approach this problem to prevent this from happening?

Record on to your log sheet  Driving Question:  What steps do we need to take to solve this problem? – do not show to students

Doodle Sheet C  What questions can we ask about solving this problem?

OBSERVATION LAB  You will be looking at 8 different samples. With your group determine 6 characteristics that you will describe the samples.  Record all your information on the lab sheet

 Record the first step in your Log sheet:  Step 1: Using your senses to observe interactions around the real world.

Record this on your Log Sheet Step 2: Ask Questions

Write this on your LOG SHEET STEP 3: A Hypothesis is an explanation for a question that can be formally tested. a.k.a: an educated guess! If…then…because….

In a well designed Experiment, you need to keep all variables the same except one.  Independent Variable: The factor that is changed in an experiment.  Dependent Variable: The results of the changes.  Control: The factor(s) that remains the same!  Controlled Experiment: An experiment where all factors except one are kept the same; all of these factors are called the “controlled variables”

For Example  Question: Which freezes faster…fresh water or salt water?  Hypothesis: IF I add salt to fresh water, THEN the salt water will take longer to freeze  Experiment: Independent Variable: the salt that is added to the water Dependent Variable: the time it takes for the water to freeze Control: The fresh water. Controlled Experiment: All factors, or potential variables are kept the same, such as temperature and amount of water

LAB:  Insulation Expansion Lab

Step 4: Test Your Hypothesis

Doodle Sheet D  What are important aspects when performing a lab experiment?

Doodle Sheet E  When looking at data, what do we need to do to make this information useful? Record your answers in Doodle Sheet E.

Step 5 Record this on your LOG Sheet  COLLECT DATA: The observations and measurements you make in an experiment are called Data.  Examples of data are values in pH, temperature, measurements, color.

Record onto your LOG Sheet Step 6: Analyze your data Did your experiment support your hypothesis?

Record on to LOG Sheet Step 7: Conclusion: a summary of the research and the results of the experiment

Record onto LOG Sheet Step 8: Retest

Final Assessment  Be complete in your responses.  Address each point on the Log Sheet