3. Problem/Question Observation/Research Make an Inference Formulate a Hypothesis Experiment Analyze Data to get Results Conclusion

4. The Scientific Method is a way that scientists help explain why things happen the way they do. It includes many important steps.

5. Steps of the Scientific Method 1.Problem 1.Problem: Choose a problem that can be solved by watching and doing. Turn your problem into a question.

6. AUGGHHHH!!!! Why does my bread have this mold growing on it? I put it in the bag and tied it with a twistie.

7. Steps of the Scientific Method Observation/Research 2. Observation/Research: Watch the problem and look up information on your topic.

8. Observations EX. I see mold on my bread again! It is in the bag and the bag is tied. What kind of container could I put the bread in to keep it from growing mold? When we put food in plastic containers, it hardly ever molds. I see this on TV also. I am going to Google what bread mold is and what it needs to grow so I can make a good guess to solve my problem.

9. Research What Are Molds? Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter. No one knows how many species of fungi exist, but estimates range from tens of thousands to perhaps 300,000 or more. Most are threadlike organisms and the production of spores is characteristic of fungi in general. These spores can be transported by air, water, or insects. Molds are made of many cells and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. Under a microscope, they look like skinny mushrooms. Bread Mold Bread has been baked for hundreds of years in every part of the world. The main ingredients are flour, yeast, salt and water. Bread mold is a kind of fungus that is commonly found on bread surfaces. Mold needs certain environmental conditions to grow. These are warmth, moisture and oxygen. Mold appears on the bread surface as a windblown spore. With adequate moisture and food from the bread, this spore sprouts and grows hair like structures on the bread surface. Once the mold starts producing structures, sometimes called conidia, the spores they contain are blown by wind and spread to other bread surfaces. Mold growth on bread occurs when the spores in the air and on kitchen counters are able to grow on the bread. The mold will grow in stages on the bread, usually starting out first as white and then turning to green, black, and blue. Mold growth on bread can be stopped by keeping the bread in the freezer and refrigerator.

10. Benefits of Bread Mold Mold can cause sickness especially if there is an allergic reaction, But some molds that grow on bread are beneficial and produce foods. Mold on cheeses, sausages, breads, and soy sauce add to the taste of many of these products. Bread molds are used to produce some beneficial medicines. Most famously, the Penicillium chrysogenum mold is used to produce the life-saving antibiotic we call penicillin. Other molds and bread molds are used to create other life-saving drugs, namely Aspergillus terreus which is used to create cholesterol-lowering drugs, and Tolypocladium Infatum which is used to combat the rejection of transplanted organs. Molds are very useful and important to humans. References Deb in Science. (2011). What is bread mold? Retrieved from http://www.askdeb.com/science/what-is-bread-mold / http://www.askdeb.com/science/what-is-bread-mold / Fab Flour: Flour Advisory Bureau. (2014). How bread is made. Retrieved from http://www.fabflour.co.uk/fab-bread/how-bread-is-made/ MB Facts. Mold on bread. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.moldbacteriafacts.com/what-is-mold/mold-on-bread/ http://www.moldbacteriafacts.com/what-is-mold/mold-on-bread/ Scheindies, C. (2011). What causes mold in bread? Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7562739_causes-mold-bread.html

11. Steps of the Scientific Method 3. Make an Inference: What do you think is causing the problem after you have watched for awhile and found facts about your topic?

12. Inference Now I know that air carries mold spores. Maybe air still gets in the original bread bag even though it is tied. Could this be what makes it mold?

13. Steps of the Scientific Method Form a Hypothesis 4. Form a Hypothesis: Predict a possible answer to the problem. It is an “educated guess”. It must be able to be tested. This is called an experiment.

14. Hypothesis Maybe a closed plastic container will keep air carrying mold spores from landing on the bread. My hypothesis is that bread mold will grow the slowest in a plastic container with a lid followed by the zip lock, the original bag, the saran wrap and the tin foil.

15. Steps of the Scientific Method 5.Experiment 5.Experiment: Develop and follow a procedure. The PROCEDURE has: a control group – original bag independent variable – the types of containers dependent variable – the growth of the mold constants - same bread, size of slice, temperature, amount of light replication – 4 slices of bread in each container trials – tin foil, plastic wrap, zip lock bag, plastic container, original bag It is explained step-by-step. It includes a list of what you used in the experiment. It has things that can be counted or measured.

16. Procedure Materials: White bread, saran wrap, zip lock bags, tin foil, plastic containers with lids, original bread bag 1. Buy 1 loaf of white bread. 2. Label : Group A tin foil1-4; Group B plastic wrap 1-4; Group C zip lock bag 1-4; Group D plastic container 1-4; Group E original bag 1-4. 3. Thoroughly clean working area. 4. Cut bread into 11 by 5 centimeter squares making sure that there is no crust on any part of the pieces. 5. Place each piece of bread in the different containers. 6. Place bread in the laundry room. Group A - tin foil Group B – plastic wrap Group C - zip lock bag Group D – plastic container Group E – original bag

17. ++ 7. Check each piece of bread every day at the same time. Record the date when you begin the procedure. Write the date when you see the first mold and the number of days it took. Get the average number of days it took for each group to mold after 1 month. 8. Take pictures of the bread or draw the bread and write a short description in a notebook. 9. Graph the average number of days it took for each group to begin growing mold. 10. Be sure to allow space on your display board for your pictures and graph.

18. Steps of the Scientific Method Collect and Analyze Data 6. Collect and Analyze Data:– Look carefully at the facts and numbers you collected during the experiment. It is acceptable to get results that you did not expect.

19. Pictures and Notes Bag 1 in Group C Day 23 The bread in the zip lock bag was finally growing mold. It was white, green and black with fuzzy growths on the bread. There were about 10 big circles of mold that covered about half of the bread.

20. Data TRIALS Sample 1 Sample 2Sample 3Sample 4 AVERAGE tin foil 14 13 15 2016 days saran wrap 17 19 20 1618 days plastic container 24 22 25 2123 days zip lock 27 24 20 2123 days original bag 28 25 21 2224 days

22. Steps of the Scientific Method Conclusion 7. Conclusion: Answer the question you asked in the problem. Include a statement that accepts or says the hypothesis is wrong.

23. Conclusion The bread mold in the original bag took the longest to grow followed by the plastic container and Zip lock bag then the plastic wrap and last the tin foil. It took an average of 24 days for the bread in the original bag to grow mold. My hypothesis was not correct but close to my prediction because the zip lock and plastic container took an average of 23 days to grow and the original bag took an average of only one more day. I think that the mold spores in the air could not enter the bag as easily as they entered the other containers and grow mold. I will continue to keep my bread in the original bag.

24. Steps of the Scientific Method Communicate the Results Communicate the Results: Be prepared to present the project to an audience. Expect questions from the audience.

25. School Science Fair Region VIII Science Fair Science Project Report Title/ Question Research Problem Hypothesis Procedure Materials: Steps: Observations Conclusions References

26. Think you can name all 7 steps? Problem Observation Inference Hypothesis Experiment Analyze data to get results Conclusions

27. The Experiment Parts of the experiment are a list of needed materials and the procedure which is the directions or steps. It must include a control group, constants and a dependent and independent variable.

28. Variables are things that change. Do you know the difference between the independent and dependent variables?

29. Independent Variable The independent variable is something you change on purpose in the experiment.

30. Independent Variable

31. Dependent Variable The dependent variable changes because of the independent variable. The growth of the mold is our dependent variable.

32. Control Group In an experiment, the control is the group that is used for comparison to all other groups. It is under the same conditions as the other groups. We decided that the original bread bag would be our control.

33. Constants The constants in an experiment are all the parts of the experiment that you attempt to keep the same. 1. Buy 1 loaf of white bread. 4. Cut bread into 11 by 5 centimeter squares making sure that there is no crust on any part of the pieces. 6. Place bread in the laundry room. 7. Check each piece every day at the same time.

34. What are some constants in this experiment?

35. Trials Trials are when you change the independent variable in your experiment. The containers changed in our bread mold experiment.

36. Replication Replication is when you repeat each trial several times so that an average can be found. Each type of container had a group of 4 slices of bread. We averaged the days it took for the slices in each group to mold.

37. YUMMY!!!! Let’s watch a Brain Pop on the Scientific Method http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificmethod/ http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificmethod/

38. Brain Pop Video http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificmethod/