1. Scientific Method – BIG Question
PAGE # 5
OBJECTIVE:
SWBAT Generate testable questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through scientific investigation
Scientific Method – BIG Question
August 20, 2014

2. Catalyst (5 min)
ON PAGE 5 IN PACKET: List the 7 steps of the Scientific Method we learned yesterday.
Next to your steps, write the acronym we learned to help remember the steps.

3. Ordering Steps activity (10 min)
Silently turn your desk into its table group when I say go.
Wait silently for your set of scientific method steps.
WHEN I SAY GO, flip over your 7 slips and put them in the correct scientific method order.
All group members should raise BOTH hands when you are ready to review the answers.

4. BIG Question (5 min)
Now that we know all 7 steps, let’s start breaking them down for mastery.
First, let’s talk about how scientific questions are different from regular questions.
Example of a question??

5. Questions –GLE 1
In science, questions are the problems we pose before performing experiments.
They are problems that can be solved by an experiment.

6. Questions have to be……
1. Specific
2. Testable
3. Objective

7. Specific What is specific? Specific means detailed.
For example: ‘‘She likes shoes’’ is NOT specific because there are no details.
‘‘She likes Jordans and converse’’ IS specific.
When we ask scientific questions they have to be specific.

8. Specific practice (3 min)
Are these questions specific or not?
1. Do KST students like candy bars?
2. Do KST students like twix or snickers better?
3. Do plants grow taller in colder weather or warmer weather?
4. Where do plants grow taller?
5. Do more women than men in Baton Rouge buy Nike’s?
6. Do KST students perform better on Math or ELA Unit 1 test?

9. Testable (5 min)
Questions are considered testable if an experiment can answer the question or solve the problem.
For Example: ‘‘How do plants grow?’’
Can we test this?
How?
Growing plants tells us whether or not they will grow but it will not tell us HOW.
Be careful of HOW questions!

10. How’s and others
Questions that cannot be answered by experiments are usually research questions!
For Example  »
‘‘How do muscles get bigger?’’
We can’t answer this question by doing an experiment but we can look it up on the internet or ask a doctor (or your science teacher)

11. Testable Practice (3 min)
Are these questions testable or not?
Where did the dinosaurs live?
Do electric cars or gas cars go faster?
How do trains run?
When do we go to lunch?
How much higher does a ball bounce on carpet or tile?
How does the heart work?
Why are boys such jerks?
Do pine or oak trees grow taller in the spring?

12. Objective (5 min)
Objective means something that will be true under most circumstances.
Opinions, likes, and dislikes are NOT objective.
For Example «  Are boys cooler than girls?
Whether you think boys or girls are cooler is an opinion.
We cannot perform experiments about questions like these because the data is not reliable or valid.

13. Objective practice Are these questions objective or not?
1. Do dogs make better pets than cats?
2. Is Ryan’s better than Golden Corral?
3. Does Ryan’s sell more dinner plates than Golden Corral?
4. Do more dog or cat owners shop at Petsmart?
5. Is Rhianna prettier than Beyonce’?
6. Did Rhianna sell more CD’s than Beyonce’ in 2010?

14. Write your own! (5 min) On your paper write 3 scientific questions!
Make sure they are:
1. Specific
2. Testable
3. Objective
4. Written as a question

15. Homework
Complete page 6!