1.  Some things to think about:  How scientists figure out how and why things work???  How does it work…why does it do that…what is it made of?  Scientists work to learn all they can about our world.

2.  Science is about discovering and understanding how the world around you works  Investigation-when you try to find answers to these questions, you are engaging in scientific investigation.  When you observe things happening, you often wonder how or why things act or work the way they do.

3. Unit 10: Scientific Investigation In this unit, you will learn how to plan, develop and conduct your own scientific investigation.

4. Lesson 1: Scientific Methods When faced with a problem you don’t understand, you can follow a specific plan to find a solution.

5. Why Investigate?  Science is about discovering and understanding how the world around you works.  When you observe things happening, you often wonder how or why things act or work the way they do.  notice something by using our senses  When you try to find answers to these questions, you are engaging in scientific investigation  process of searching for facts or details in a systematic manner

6. Observations and Experiments in Investigations  Any time you seek answers to questions, you are using scientific processes.  Some processes are simple, such as observing, recording, or listening.  Other times, you investigate using a set of ordered steps or procedures.  During this process, called the experimental scientific method, you conduct a step-by-step, controlled experiment. Many of the lab activities you have conducted in physical

7. Investigation or Demonstration?  You might be tempted to call an investigation an experiment, but an experiment is only one part of an investigation.  Investigation-the process of finding an answer to a question, often by looking at causes and effects.  Experiments-measure the effect of something on something else.  Using a demonstration, you can show how something happens or works.  Demonstrations can be models, like globes, or they can be diagrams, charts, or collections of objects.

8. How Do I Start My Investigation?  The first thing to do is select a topic.  You can look for ideas in many places: books, magazines, television, the Internet, and museums. Even watching people doing everyday activities or observing things around you may spark your interest.  When deciding on a topic, ask yourself some questions:  What topics do I want to learn more about?  What interests me most about physical science  What unit did I enjoy studying most this year?  Is there something I understand particularly well about physical science?  Is there something I don't understand particularly well about physical science?  What questions do I have about physical science?

9. Getting Organized After you've chosen a topic, it's time to get organized.  Choose a binder or folder to use just for your investigation and label it Investigation Notebook.  From the time you begin gathering information, store all papers, notes, drawings, diagrams, and other information in your notebook.  Maintaining an Investigation Notebook will allow you to keep all the information you’ll need for your research report in one place

12. Do the Research  An important part of the experimental scientific method is research.  To get started on your research, print a copy of the worksheet, Look It Up!  This information will help direct your research, whether you're working at the library or at home on your computer.

13. Lesson 2: Design and Set Up Your Experiment In this lesson, you will learn how to design and set up an experiment just like a scientist would.

14. Hypothesis: A Scientist’s Best Guess A science investigation typically begins with a question.  Now that you’ve decided which question you’d like answered, you need to devise an experiment to help answer it.  You will formulate a possible answer to your question, and then design your experiment to test if the statement is true.  A statement of this kind is known as a hypothesis.  statement that proposes a possible answer to a specific question  Scientists develop hypotheses so they can set up useful experiments.  You can now begin to design an experiment that tests your hypothesis

15. Research Summary  You have already conducted research on your topic.  Now it’s time to write a research summary.  This summary will be useful when you write the hypothesis for your investigation.  The summary does not include specific details and examples—save them for your research report.  In your Investigation Notebook, write down any questions you came up with after you conducted the research on your own topic.  Then, write research summary sentences about what you have found out about your topic.

16. What Does a Good Hypothesis Look Like?  It’s testable. Any data you get will either support or not support your hypothesis.  It’s a statement, not a question.  It’s often written as an “if-then” sentence.  It does not start with “I think”. You are already saying what you think by stating the hypothesis.  It does not include terms like “better,” “best,” or “worse.” These are not usually testable.

17. Design An Experiment  Once you have written your hypothesis, you will plan and carry out a controlled experiment.  This means you’ll conduct your experiment one way, and then you will perform the same experiment with one change.  What you change in the experiment depends on your hypothesis, or on what you want to test  A controlled experiment takes into account the following: the independent variable the dependent variable the control the constant

18. Variables: Dependent and Independent Variable-a value or condition that can change, or vary. In a controlled experiment, there are two types of variables:  The independent variable is the one factor a scientist changes in an experiment.  The dependent variable is the factor that may change because of changes in the independent variable.

19. Constants, Control & Replication  A controlled experiment also contains constants.  Constants-values or conditions a scientist keeps the same during an experiment.  By keeping most conditions the same, scientists can be sure that any change in the outcome of the experiment results from a change in the independent variable.  A control is a test where no variables are changed.  It is designed to remove or isolate variables from the experiment.  As you plan your scientific investigation, it is important to be sure you conduct your experiment more than once. Scientists call this replication. Why is this important?  Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you may make some small errors in measurement or when recording data.  To make sure these mistakes don’t affect your tests too much, conduct your experiment three different times.  Or, for an experiment that takes a long time to complete, make three separate set-ups when you first begin and run all three tests simultaneously.

20. Lesson 3: Data Collection

21. What Is Data?  Data are pieces of information you collect while you are doing the experiment part of your investigation. Data can include measurements, such as the height of sunflower plants, or observations, such as the smoothness of a pea seed. Scientists collect data to determine whether the information coming from their experiments supports their hypotheses. Think of data as evidence. Data collected during the experiment are used as evidence to support or refute a hypothesis.

22. Example data tables Be sure you put UNITS on any measurements you take.

23. Data fall into one of two categories: quantitative or qualitative.  Quantitative Data-Data recorded as counts or measurements--measure the quantity of something, using numbers  Find the Mean- For qualitative data, mathematical data, you need to find the average  Here’s how to find the mean:  Add the values from each trial.  Divide by the number of trials  Qualitative Data- Data such as observations-- measure the qualities of something, such as its color or shape etc.  You can use words, codes, drawings, or symbols to record qualitative data  Find the Mode-for qualitative data, like word labels or coded observations, you need to find the mode--the value or item that appears most often in the data

24. Half Time Stretch

25. Lesson 4: Data Analysis Learn the steps you will need to take to analyze your data.

26. Data Tables, Charts & Graphs  You should have a data table and a graph.  Graphs represent your data visually, and can also help you notice trends in your data  There are many different types of graphs, and it is important to choose the type that best represents your data AND tells the story of your data.

27. Line graphs are most useful to show data over a period of time.

28. Circle graphs (pie graphs) are best to describe data that are parts of a whole.

29. Creating a graph  Make sure you have a title~ what is your graph showing?  Label the y-axis and x-axis  Have a title for each axis  Have the units you are using for measurement  Make sure that your units are spaced EVENLY along the axes of your graph.

30. Lesson 5: Reporting Conclusions In this lesson, learn what to do with that information so you can tell others what happened during your experiment.

31. Communicating Results Scientists write reports to:  Share their findings with other scientists, community & sometimes the world  Help other researchers by suggesting new questions for them to answer  Give others the chance to repeat a scientist’s experiment to see if the conclusions can be verified—If it can’t be repeated it isn’t science

32. Lab Report  Your written lab report should include:  Title  Hypothesis  Background research  Materials  Procedure  Observations and Data  Data analysis  Discussion  Conclusion ** This will be turned in to your Learning Coach.

33. Writing a Discussion  The discussion is an explanation of why you think the experiment turned out the way it did.  You may want to include information that you think is important but that did not fit into other sections of the lab report  Possible Questions:

34. Lesson 7: Create a Display Let’s take a look at how to create a display poster.

35.  I am not going to require you to create a display UNLESS you or your LC wants to.  You can create a display like a science fair project if you would like~ that is what they describe in the k12 lesson.  IF you want to present what you did to us, you can create a power point display and send it to me.

36. Steps to Create a Display:  Step 1: Map Your Display  Step 2: Gather Your Display Items  Step 3: Create Titles  Title, Purpose, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Data Collection and Analysis (includes observations, graphs, charts, and pictures), Discussion, Conclusions, Research and Bibliography & Credits  Step 4: Put It All Together

38. Lesson 8: Oral Presentation Oral presentations give you an opportunity to tell what you’ve done, and allow others to ask you questions about your investigation. Think about it—if people have questions about your work, they should be able to talk directly to you.

39.  Organize Your Presentation  You can use your lab report and your display poster to help you organize your oral presentation  Good Presentation Habits:  Make sure you are prepared.  Use your display poster as a visual aid during your presentation and point to the different items as you discuss them.  Look at your audience as you speak.  Take deep breaths and speak slowly.  Practice your presentation on your own and then in front of someone to get experience and gain confidence.  Finding Your Audience  If no science fair is available in your area, you can still present your research to family and friends or your virtual class.