1. DO NOW Hand in class contracts in your class bin.
Hand in “Observations and Inferences” worksheet in your class bin.
Complete the worksheet given to you as you walked in the door. (5 mins)

2. Video

3. The Scientific Method 1. Pose Questions (Purpose)
“Why does my locker jam?”
2. Background Research (and Prior Knowledge)
3. Make a hypothesis
An educated guess
A testable prediction
An explanation for observations
An “If..then” statement

4. The Scientific Method (cont)
“If I remove items from
my jammed locker, then it
will open and close
properly.”

5. The Scientific Method (cont)
4. Conduct an experiment
Manipulated (Independent) Variable:
the variable the scientist changes so
he / she can see (observe) the
results of the experiment
- items in your locker

6. The Scientific Method (cont)
Responding (Dependent) Variable::
the factor being measured in an experiment
- the ability of locker to open and close properly

7. The Scientific Method (cont)
Control: a standard for comparison
Constants: Remains the same throughout the experiment
- a neighbor’s locker that does not jam
Size of the locker
Temperature of the room
Etc.

8. The Scientific Method (cont)
Complete the worksheet by choosing the variable and control groups for each situation.

9. The Scientific Method (cont)
5. Collect and interpret data
- “When my locker is empty, it opens and closes correctly in 10 out of 10 trials.”
6. Measuring
- consistently use the same unit of measure

10. The Scientific Method (cont)
7. Drawing conclusions: relating data to the hypothesis
- “The number of items in my locker affects its ability to open and close properly.”

11. Scientific Theory
a well-tested scientific concept explaining a wide range of observations

12. Some Scientific Theories:
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
The Big Bang Theory

13. The Scientific Method (cont)
Complete the worksheet by labeling each part of the scientific method.