What is Science?

Scientific Method

LI - understand the scientific method.

SC - is able to follow the scientific method when performing and writing up an experiment.

The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way.

Ask a Question:

The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

And, in order for the scientific method to answer the question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a number.

Do Background Research:

Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and

Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

Background Research Plan

Finding Information

Bibliography

Construct a Hypothesis:

A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:

"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."

You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help

you answer your original question.

Variables

Hypothesis

Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment:

Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test

by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.

Experimental Procedure

Materials List

Conducting an Experiment

Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion:

Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

Scientists often find that their hypothesis was not supported, and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis based on the information

they learned during their experiment. This starts the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis

was supported, they may want to test it again in a new way.

Data Analysis & Graphs

Conclusions

Communicate Your Results:

To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional

scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster at a

scientific meeting. In a science fair, judges are interested in your findings regardless of whether or not they support your original hypothesis.

Final Report

Display Board

Even though we show the scientific method as a series of steps, keep in mind that new information or thinking might cause a scientist to back

up and repeat steps at any point during the process. A process like the scientific method that involves such backing up and repeating is called

an iterative process.

Activity

Explain the scientific method.

Perform an experiment with students - (Colors on the Mooooove )

Model writing up experiment.

Add the concept of variables - use blue top milk to start.

What will happen if we use light blue top, green top milk, water ???

(Remember to change only 1 variable at a time)

Information: