1. Understanding The Scientific Method
Mr/Ms Period ---- Class

2. What does Science mean to you?
Take a couple of minutes and write down a couple of sentences explaining what Science means to you.
Teachers: After and allotted time (let’s say 5 minutes), have students give their opinions of what they think science is. Afterwards, then proceed to the very bookish following slide.

3. Science: A Definition
The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
Teacher: Ask students (different than the ones who provided their own definition) what they think this means.

4. Simply put, Science is…
Using a repeatable method to attempt to answer a question!
Believe it or not, you do this EVERY DAY!
Think of a time when you followed a specific plan to attempt to solve some sort of problem…

5. Examples of following a procedure in everyday life…
Cooking food using a recipe
Washing dishes
Finding a quick route somewhere and taking that short cut often
Using a strategy guide or the Internet when beating a video game
And these are just SOME of the common ways we use a procedure!
Cooking food using a recipe requires using measurements to ensure the same outcome is constantly achieved. Washing dishes requires following a using a set step-wise pattern (removal of food, rinsing dishes, scrubbing with soap/loading into the dishwasher) to ensure glassware is cleaned but also not broken. Using a well-known route over and over again is repeatability of a desired outcome. Using a strategy guide or the Internet to beat a game is using reviewed research (utilizing someone else’s work to further one’s own research).
Break: At this point you may want to break and have students do the Lab Notebook Assignment: Everyday Experiments.
I finally beat Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask!

6. You are already a Scientist!
Everyday we all do things that help us better understand the world around us. As scientists, we simply make sure that we record those finding so others can see how we do things. This brings us to:
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD 6 6

7. Step 3: Rethink life choices.
The Scientific Method
Step 1: Pick up Beehive.
Step 2: Get Stung.
Step 3: Rethink life choices.
A logical, step based plan for solving a problem.
In ancient Greece, the philospher Aristotle proposed using a process for solving problems.
Later, Galileo, added that possible solutions are the things that needed to be tested.
Hypothesis: The possible solution to a problem.
Teacher: The text bubble is animated. Click the mouse button to make it appear after asking students to come up with a hypothesis for what will happen to Aristotle while holding the hive. 7 7

8. The Process 1) Ask a Question 7) Report Results 2) Do Research
3) Form a Hypothesis
4) Test the hypothesis
(Experiment)
5) Analyze the Data
6) Draw a Conclusion
7) Report Results
2) Do Research
1) Ask a Question
In science, the process is even more important than getting a “right answer”. Often, a correct answer may not even be know until after an experiment has been repeated over an over again, in which case the right answer is the most common answer. Also, getting a “wrong answer” isn’t necessarily bad…
The Process

9. Asking a Question Question: What is the greatest distance I can
The first step to designing an experiment, the question should be a testable one that frames your idea. If you can’t observe the outcome, then it’s not testable.
Question: What is the
greatest distance I can
hit a baseball?
We will use a baseball scenario as our question. 9 9

10. Do Research
The next step would be to do research. Figure out what materials you would need, where you should conduct your experiment, and if others had tried your experiment before.
The Internet, books, and
magazines are good places
to look.
Emphasize that Wikipedia is NOT a good source. If you want a starting point, sure, but NEVER cite Wikipedia as a primary source. Go to the bottom of the page and use the links to their sources and use those. 10 10

11. Form a Hypothesis
A hypothesis is an educated prediction of what you think will happen, not just a random guess. This will depend on your research. A hypothesis should also have a clear cause and effect.
If I hit a baseball, then it will travel
300 miles. Testable, but unrealistic.
This shows little to no research.
300 feet. Testable, and realistic. 11 11

12. Form a Hypothesis I will hit a baseball as far as I can.
This is not a repeatable test. What if one day you are tired, but then on another day you are not? This could
cause BIAS.
A bias is an outcome that you “feel”
is the right one. Science is about the
real results. Not what you think the
results should be!
You may want to give students some examples of bias. For example, “Lions eat more than house cats.” Sure, this is entirely possible, however, without testing it this is just a guess based on a size bias. If you remove size as something you’re testing and base it on how many meals they eat in a day, maybe the difference isn’t that much. Cross curricular opportunities are available here as well with history, examples are past biases based on gender or race. Example: “Girls can’t play football.” Is this true or is it a bias? By the way, it’s totally bias… ;) 12 12

13. Form a Hypothesis A hypothesis DOESN’T have to be wrong or right,
What if I test my hypothesis and it turns out to be wrong?
So you hit the baseball and it didn’t travel 300 feet?
That’s ok!
A hypothesis
DOESN’T have
to be wrong or right,
JUST TESTABLE. 13 13

14. Form a Hypothesis
By forming a hypothesis you are actually forming two testable scenarios. One is your hypothesis, but the other opposite outcome is the null, or implied, hypothesis. If you form your hypothesis correctly, you will always be proving something!
My hypothesis: If I hit the baseball, then
It will travel 300 feet.
Null hypothesis: If I hit the baseball, then
it will NOT travel 300 feet.
So even it if travels 300 feet
or 30, you still tested something!
Break: Have students work on the “Forming a Hypothesis” activity. Students will practice writing hypothesis and null hypotheses using the “if, then” format. Alternative: Ticket-to-leave. Have students write down 2 testable hypotheses using “if, then” format. Then on the next day, choose some, read them to the class, and determine if they are truly testable. You can also ask them what they think the null hypothesis would be. For example, if someone says, “If I pet my cat, then it will purr” the null hypothesis would be, “If I pet my cat, then it won’t purr.” 14 14

15. Test the Hypothesis
After a hypothesis has been formed, the next step is to design an experiment! Experiments have variables, most stay the same, while the one being tested may change.
Controlled Variable – These variables are constant and don’t change throughout the experiment.
Independent Variable - This variable
changes. This is what your experiment
is testing.
Dependent Variable – This variable
changes in response to the
independent variable.
Break: Have students work on the “Forming a Hypothesis” activity. Students will practice writing hypothesis and null hypotheses using the “if, then” format. Alternative: Ticket-to-leave. Have students write down 2 testable hypotheses using “if, then” format. Then on the next day, choose some, read them to the class, and determine if they are truly testable. You can also ask them what they think the null hypothesis would be. For example, if someone says, “If I pet my cat, then it will purr” the null hypothesis would be, “If I pet my cat, then it won’t purr.” 15 15

16. Test the Hypothesis
If your hypothesis is, “if I hit the baseball, then it will travel 800 feet.” Then these are the variables you could use would be..
Controlled Variables – Stays the same!
The size, weight of the baseball
The person swinging.
A pitching machine with a set speed.
Independent Variable - The things you test.
Different types of bats
Dependent Variable – This changes base on the independent variable.
How far the ball travels.
You may want to ask students other ways this hypothesis could tested. Remind them that there should always be a single independent variable. If, for example, they attempt to test different pitching machine speeds then the bat type should become a controlled variable… meaning they use the same bat throughout the entire experiment. 16 16

17. Analyze the Data, and Draw a Conclusion
After an experiment has being conducted, then the data has to be analyzed. Usually, an experiment is run multiple times to get enough data where trends can be seen.
Based on the data which bat best proves the hypothesis?
Bat Type
Test Number
Distance
Wood 1
250 ft 2
200 ft
Metal
310 ft
305 ft
Nerf
50 ft
60 ft
How could this test be expanded? One example would be to use various brands of bat rather than simply wood vs. metal. Different brands use different types of wood/metal as well. Based on the data, which bat best proved the hypothesis (if any)? In this case, the metal bat would be accepted as meeting the minimum of 800 ft. However, as you can see, the wood bat isn’t far off. This means that testing various different types of wood may find one that is just as good at hitting 800 ft as metal. 17 17

18. Report Results
After research and experimentation is complete, the results must be reported so others can know the outcome.
Hypothesis Proven: Great!
You answered the question, now others can look over your work and learn from it.
Hypothesis Disproven: Great!
Sure, it didn’t go as you planned, but once you report your results others can learn and maybe improve your experiment!
If your hypothesis is disproven, then you may have found a way NOT to test a particular variable. Others can read that research and make changes to the experiment to eventually fine tune it.. And who knows, maybe even prove your initial hypothesis correct! Sometimes it takes many people working on a single problem to solve it, however, someone has to make the first step. It’s not about right or wrong, it’s about learning something you didn’t know before! 18 18

19. Activity Time!
Remember that hypothesis you came up with the other day? Pair up with a partner and attempt to come up with a hypothesis for this question:
“I have a plant that keeps drying out and wilting. Why does this keep happening? I water it once in the morning and once at night.”
After you come up with a hypothesis for this, attempt to design an experiment. Write a short paragraph summarizing the experiment and then list the controlled variables, the independent variables, and the dependent variables.
This assignment can be given for a single class period, done as a larger group effort, etc. Possible hypotheses:
“If the plant is wilting, then it’s not getting enough water.”
“If the plant is wilting, then the water must be evaporating to quickly.”
“If the plant is wilting, then the planter might be leaking water.”
“If the plant is wilting, then it’s getting too much sun.”
“If the plant is wilting, then it’s getting not enough sun.” 19 19