Week 6 - 10:
It's time to investigate! What would you like to find out about students at Pt England School. What could we investigate that would have findings to help how we learn, create and share at Pt England School?
Are there some problem areas you'd like to explore?
How about stories of success from our students - what did they do?
Best ways to learn, create and share?
What difference does netbooks bring to how we learn, create and share?
What are some other features of PES you'd like to investigate?
Create a doc titled 'PES investigation (your name) and start listing what you'd love to find out more about!
Week 5 & 6:
ICAS - online practice tests. Go here to test yourself for upcoming ICAS exams.
1.Which steps have we covered already in our balloon experiment?
2.Which steps have we left out?
3.Have a go at writing a conclusion for the investigations we carried out using the balloon rocket.
Steps of The Scientific Method
The Question
Your science fair project starts with a question. This might be based on an observation you have made or a particular topic that interests you. Think what you hope to discover during your investigation, what question would you like to answer? Your question needs to be about something you can measure and will typically start with words such as what, when, where, how or why.
Background Research
Use resources such as online research engines/sites, books to perform background research on your question. Gathering information now will help prepare you for the next step in the Scientific Method.
Hypothesis
Using your background research and current knowledge, make an educated guess that answers your question. Your hypothesis should be a simple statement that expresses what you think will happen.
Experiment
Create a step by step procedure and conduct an experiment that tests your hypothesis. The experiment should be a fair test that changes only one variable at a time while keeping everything else the same. Repeat the experiment a number of times to ensure your original results weren’t an accident.
Data
Collect data and record the progress of your experiment. Document your results with detailed measurements, descriptions and observations in the form of notes, journal entries, photos, charts and graphs.
Observations
Describe the observations you made during your experiment. Include information that could have affected your results such as errors, environmental factors and unexpected surprises.
Conclusions
Analyze the data you collected and summarize your results in written form. Use your analysis to answer your original question, do the results of your experiment support or oppose your hypothesis?
Communication
Present your findings in an appropriate form, whether it’s a final report for a scientific journal, a poster for school or a display board for a science fair competition.
1 balloon (round ones will work, but the longer "airship" balloons work best)
1 long piece of kite string (3 - 4 metres long)
1 plastic straw
tape
timer - stopwatch
Finish line
Tie one end of the string to a chair or other support.
Put the other end of the string through the straw.
Pull the string tight and tie it to another support in the room.
Blow up the balloon (but don't tie it.) Pinch the end of the balloon and tape the balloon to the straw as shown above. You're ready for launch.
Let go and watch the rocket fly!
So how does it work? It's all about the air...and thrust. As the air rushes out of the balloon, it creates a forward motion called THRUST. Thrust is a pushing force created by energy. In the balloon experiment, our thrust comes from the energy of the balloon forcing the air out. Different sizes and shapes of balloon will create more or less thrust. In a real rocket, thrust is created by the force of burning rocket fuel as it blasts from the rockets engine - as the engines blast down, the rocket goes up!
The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:
1. Does the amount of air in the balloon affect how far (or fast) the rocket travels?
2. Does the length of the straw affect how far (or fast) the rocket travels?
3. Does the type of string affect how far (or fast) the rocket travels? (try fishing line, nylon string, cotton string, etc.)
4. Does the angle of the string affect how far (or fast) the rocket travels?
When you change variables of the experiment do the following
1.State what changes you have made
2.Make a prediction - what do you think will happen? E.g. The balloon will travel faster/slower?
What does it mean to investigate?
Year 5 and 6 Extension students answer:
- explore the unknown
- explore new things
- finding out history behind today's world
- experiment
- sample
- discover
- invent
- looking closely
- examining - examination - examine
- figuring out
Why do people carry out investigations?
-is to find out what went wrong
-to see what will happen
-to see who did it - culprit
- to find out new things
- find out the contents
- to create new things - better things
- new technologies
- discover the past
in·ves·ti·gate (n-vst-gt)
v. in·ves·ti·gat·ed, in·ves·ti·gat·ing, in·ves·ti·gates
a.To observe or inquire into in detail; examine systematically.
b.To make a detailed inquiry or systematic examination.
[Latin investgre, investgt- : in-, in; see in-2 + vestgre, to track (from vestgium, footprint).]
in·vesti·ga·ble (-g-bl) adj.
in·vesti·ga·tory (-g-tôr, -tr) adj.
Investigating everyday life
We can see our lives as pretty normal. Some things 'just happen'...'it just goes like that'...
Have you ever wondered why things are the way they are?
Task 1: Daily diary (google doc, named and posted in extension folder)
List all the things you've had to do since you woke this morning.
Include any devices/gadgets/appliances/machines you had to use.
In this list - what would like to investigate?
Once you have chosen your investigation begin! Your end product will be a short movie that states what you are trying to find out - through to what you discovered!
Research
a. What do I want to find out?
b. What steps will I follow?
c. Record your findings in google doc: graphics/diagrams/script
d. Produce your movie
e. Share and reflect your investigation.