1. Do Now
I would like you to answer the question for the Activating Strategy on page one of the Scientific Method packet.
Do this by yourself

2. A blueprint for experiment success.
Scientific Method
A blueprint for
experiment success.

3. What is the scientific method?
It is a simple method scientists use to conduct an investigation.
It is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by asking questions & conducting experiments.

4. I. Question/Problem Ask a question about something observed.
Why?
How?
What?
Develop a question that is measurable or that can be tested.

5. What is a “Testable Question?”
A testable question- one that can be answered by designing and conducting an experiment.

6. What is a “Testable Question?”
Testable questions are always about changing one thing to see what the effect is on another thing.

7. Sample Testable Question
Does changing the height of the ramp
affect
the speed of a car going down the ramp?

8. Testable Question Formats
Does changing _______ affect _______?
How does changing _____ affect _____?
If I change ______, will it affect ______?
In a scientific experiment, these two blanks have special names: variables

9. What is a variable?
A variable is something that can CHANGE.

10. Testable Questions have two parts:
An independent variable
A dependent variable

11. What is an Independent Variable?
The variable that will be changed by you – the scientist.
A good experiment has only one independent variable!

12. What is a Dependent Variable?
The variable that is being measured in your experiment
The effect or outcome to the change you make using the independent variable.

13. Testable Question Formats
Does changing _______ affect _______?
How does changing _____ affect _____?
If I change ______ will it affect ______?
independent
variable
dependent
variable
independent
variable
dependent
variable
independent
variable
dependent
variable

14. Example:
Does changing the height of the ramp affect the speed of the car going down the ramp?

15. Identify the independent variable
Does changing the height of the ramp affect the speed of the car going down the ramp?

16. Independent Variable
Does changing the height of the ramp affect the speed of the car going down the ramp?

17. Identify the dependent variable?
Does changing the height of the ramp affect the speed of the car going down the ramp?

18. Dependent Variable
Does changing the height of the ramp affect the speed of the car going down the ramp?

19. Review your notes on the following
Independent and Dependent Variables
Testable Questions

20. Another Example of a Testable Question
Does changing the amount of light affect the growth rate of plants?
Identify the INDEPENDENT variable
Identify the DEPENDENT variable

21. Is this a Testable Question?
What makes plants grow best?
NO WAY !!!!!!

22. How to Turn a General Question into a Testable Question
First, read the question carefully.
What makes plants grow best?

23. How to Turn a General Question into a Testable Question
Next, think of a cause and an effect related to your question.
What makes plants grow the best?
In this case, the idea is that you can change something to affect something about how a plant grows.

24. What are examples of things you can change?
What makes plants grow the best?

25. What are examples of things you can change?
What makes plants grow best?
Brainstorm with your table group!!
Examples:
-Amount of water
-Amount of light
-Soil type

26. Brainstorm with your table partners!!!
What specific effects
can you look for?
Brainstorm with your table partners!!!

27. What makes plants grow the best?
What specific effects
can you look for?
What makes plants grow the best?
Examples:
-Height of plant
-Speed of growth

28. Finally, plug the cause and the effect into the format…
“What is the effect of ____ on ____?”
The cause goes in the first blank, and the effect goes in the second blank.
So a testable question looks like this:
“What is the effect of soil type on plant height?”

29. Ticket out the door
Write a testable question about something in your life.
School
Sports
Band
Choir
Orchestra
Underline the independent variable and circle the dependent variable.

30. Controls
Controls- all the factors in your experiment that you want to remain constant. (same)
“What is the effect of soil type on plant height?”
Controls for the plant experiment:
type of plant
growing conditions (sunlight, temperature, etc.)
amount of water
type of container

31. 2). Hypothesis Educated guess about how things work.
Prediction that can be tested in an experiment
Use If, then statements
If ____ [I do this], then _____ [this will happen]
IMPORTANT- Focus on one variable only.

32. Developing a Hypothesis
1) Regular soda is made with sucrose and this causes the can sink. Diet Soda is made with Aspartame and this causes the can to float. 2) There is a tiny hole in the one can that is allowing water to fill the can. Each can is made from a different material that cause one can to be heavier.

33. Developing a Hypothesis
4) If soda is made with sucrose, then the can will sink in a cooler filled with water. OR If soda is made with Aspartame, then the can will float in a cooler filled with water.

34. Developing a Hypothesis
5) If two soda cans are made from different materials, then it will affect the buoyancy of the cans.

35. 3). Experiment
-A carefully designed procedure to test your hypothesis.
Change only one variable at a time.
Use a control or control group. One group must not be changed.
In order for results to be valid, conduct several tests.
Carefully collect observations and record your data in a data table

36. Data Tables.
Numerical (quantitative) data organized in rows and columns
The specific independent variables are listed
The number of trials are listed
Blanks are left for the data (dependent variable) to be filled in

37. Title: Describing the Data
Trial
Variable 1
Variable 2
Variable 3 1 2 3 4 5
AVERAGE

38. 4) Data Analysis -What can your data tell you? Create graphs or charts
Graph the data to look for trends & relationships.
Use the average or the mean to compare data between two groups.

39. 5) Conclusion -Summary of your experiment.
Use your data analysis to decide if your observations either support or do not support your hypothesis.
If your data does not support your hypothesis, give possible reasons to explain this.
How could you redesign your experiment with what you have learned? How could you improve your experiment?

40. The Scientific Method 1) Question/Problem 2) Research 3) Hypothesis
4)Experiment
5) Data Collection
6) Conclusion

41. Summarizer
On a piece of paper, write a summary about everything that you have learned about the first step in the scientific method. You must use examples as your supporting details. It must be in paragraph form and be at least 5-7 sentences. You have until the end of class.!!!!

42. 2) Research
Research- gathering information