I can identify a question that can be tested scientifically.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY?

An organized process we use to find answers to questions about the natural world.

ASKING SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS

DEFINE THE QUESTION/PROBLEM

What question is being answered, problem solved, or hypothesis tested.

What is the purpose of doing the experiment?

• For example, “How many drops of water can a penny hold?”

• Questions must be testable.

SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS

Discovery Clip:

The Question: the Starting Point for All Scientific Inquiry

WHAT MAKES A TESTABLE QUESTION?

Question Testable?

Why do blackberry bushes have thorns?

How much gas is produced by dissolving 1 Alka Seltzer tablet in water?

How does temperature change as ice melts into water?

Why is the sky blue?

Which brand of paper towel is most absorbent?

NoYesYesNoYes

WHAT MAKES A TESTABLE QUESTION?

Testable questions ask about objects, organisms, and events in the natural world.

Testable questions can be answered through investigations that involve experiments, observations, or surveys.

Testable questions are answered by collecting and analyzing evidence that is measurable.

Testable questions relate to scientific ideas rather than personal preference or moral values.

Testable questions do not relate to the supernatural or to non-measurable phenomena.

Not in your notes…just listen

WORKING WITH QUESTIONS

1. Work in teams of 4

2. Evaluate the questions: Are they testable—yes or no?

3. If they are, what would you do to answer this question? How would you go about it?

4. If they are NOT, how could you make it a testable question?

HOW IS BUG BLOOD DIFFERENT FROM HUMAN BLOOD?

• Do all bugs have blood?• Does bug blood contain white

blood cells and red blood cells?• What is the composition of bug

blood?

WHY DO YOUR FINGERS WRINKLE AFTER YOU TAKE A BATH?

• What happens to your fingers if you soak them in other liquids, such as dish-washing detergents?

• Do fingers wrinkle faster in hot or cold water?

• How long do you have to soak your fingers before they wrinkle?

IS ROCK MUSIC BETTER THAN HIP HOP MUSIC?

• Does rock music make more money than hip-hop music?

• How do music sales vary by geographical distribution and by type of music?

• How do music sales vary by age and gender of the buyer and by type of music?

WHY DOES BRIGHT LIGHT CAUSE SOME PEOPLE TO SNEEZE?

• What physiological changes trigger sneezing?

• Do sunglasses prevent sneezing?• Does breathing through your

mouth versus breathing through your nose make a difference in sneezing when you are exposed to bright light?

DO SMELLS AFFECT PEOPLE’S MOODS?

• Are septic workers unhappy? (subjective)Changed to: Do results of psychological tests designed to measure happiness show that sanitation workers score lower than other types of workers?

• Do people who work in florist shops have fewer psychological problems than those who work in less pleasantly fragrant environments?

IS VEGETARIANISM BETTER THAN EATING MEAT?

• Do vegetarians experience fewer heart attacks than meat eaters do?

• Does a vegetarian diet contain the same vitamins and minerals as a meat-containing diet?

• How do vegetarian and meat-containing diets compare nutritionally?

DO SOME RESEARCH: WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC?

Use books and/or the internet Has anyone done similar or related

experiments before? Even if someone has done similar

research, can the results be repeated? The more times you do an experiment and get the same results, the more CERTAIN we can be of those results.

Always support your idea with a reason!

(I think that…because…) (If…then…because…….)

Make a Hypothesis: an idea that can be tested by an experiment; an educated guess about the results.

What are some hypotheses you can come up with about the penny?

Write yours down!

Hypothesis

MAKING HYPOTHESES

1. Work in teams of 4

2. Come up with a hypothesis for each of your testable questions.

TESTING HYPOTHESES

Designing & Conducting Experiments

I can identify controlled variables in an experiment.

I can identify the manipulated (independent) variable in an experiment.

I can identify the responding (dependent) variable in an experiment.

I can conduct a controlled experiment to test a hypothesis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Manipulated Variable (Independent): The factor that you are testing or changingShould only have ONE manipulated variable at a time.

Responding Variable (Dependent): The factor that you are measuring depends on all other variables…

Identify VARIABLES —Factors that can affect the results of an experiment.

Control Group: the part of the experiment that is LEFT ALONE or “natural”. Used to compare back to.

Experimental Group: the part of the experiment in which a factor or variable is changed.

Controlled Variables (Constants)—anything that you will keep the same throughout the experiment

IDENTIFYING VARIABLES PRACTICE

What is the manipulated (changed) variable?What is the responding (measured) variable?What are some controls to consider? Control group? Experimental Group?

ACTIVITIES:

Gizmo Identifying Controls

& Variables homework

Name Period Assignment #

A. Smithers thinks the drug AZT will cure AI DS. He takes 100 patients with AI DS and gives the drug to 50 of them (group A). To the other 50, he gives them a drug that looks just like AZT, but is really just a sugar pill (group B). Both groups were told that they were getting a drug that would cure AI DS. Af ter 6 months, 30 patients in group A reported having f ewer symptoms and 10 people in group B reported having f ewer symptoms.

I dentify the:

1. Control Group

2. Manipulated (I ndependent) Variable

3. Responding (Dependent) Variable

4. What should Smithers’ conclusion be?

5. Why was group B given a sugar pill?

6. Why do you think 10 people in group B reported f eeling better?

B. Homer notices that his shower is covered in strange green slime. His f riend Barney tells him that coconut juice will get rid of green slime. Homer decides to test this out by spraying half the shower with coconut juice. He sprays the other half of the shower with water. Af ter 3 days of “treatment” there is no change in the appearance of the green slime on either side of the shower.

I dentify the:

1. What was the initial observation?

2. Control Group

3. Manipulated (I ndependent) Variable

4. Responding (Dependent) Variable

5. What should Homer’s conclusion be?

Name: _________________________ Period : _____ Assignment # _______

Vocabulary: controlled experiment, hypothesis, variable Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.) Johnny likes to watch the birds that visit his birdfeeder. His favorite bird is the cardinal. How could Johnny determine which kind of birdseed cardinals prefer? Explain your answer in detail. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Gizmo Warm-up Imagine a new alien life form has just been discovered on a nearby planet. Your job is to study this new life form. The Effect of Environment on New Life Form Gizmo™ shows 100 individuals that have been transported from the planet to your laboratory. 1. The new life form can have three shapes: thin, medium,

and thick. How many of each shape are there now? Thin: _______ Medium: _______ Thick: _______

2. Click Play ( ). Do the numbers of each type of alien change over time? ______________

3. Click Reset ( ). A variable is something that can be changed in an experiment. Look on the SIMULATION pane. What are the three variables you can change in your laboratory? _________________________________________________________________________

4. Which of these variables do you think will have the greatest effect on the aliens? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

RUBRIC

Written Work: _______ / 10 Online Assessment Q’s _ _____ / 5

Total Score: ________/ 15

I can list the materials needed for an investigation

I can write logical procedures (that address all variables) to test a scientific question.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

GATHER MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT:

ITEMS USED TO PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT.

What would we need for the penny experiment? Write yours down…

How many drops can the heads side of a penny hold?

PLAN YOUR PROCEDURES: STEPS FOLLOWED DURING EXPERIMENT.

Generally written in a numbered list Should be detailed enough that anyone

can follow exactly what you did. Be sure to address all your variables! How many times you are going to do the

experiment? It should be written here! Generally, experiments are done more than once to ensure accuracy!

GIVE IT A TRY: PLAN OUT STEPS FOR THE PENNY EXPERIMENT.

Note: You don’t have to list “Gather Materials as a step”. Its implied.

Try writing on your own and then we’ll compare…

EXAMPLE:

1. Set clean, dry penny on flat surface, heads side up.2. Drop water on the heads side of the penny, one drop at a

time.3. Count how many drops land on the penny until water

spills over the side.4. Record your results in your data table.5. Repeat 2 more times, always using a clean/dry penny

and heads side up.

PRACTICE

I can collect data from a lab in an organized way (using a data table).

I can use results from a data table/graph/diagram to explain the results, show patterns and make predictions.

I can write a 4 point conclusion that addresses my investigative question

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

GATHER OBSERVATIONS/DATA: ALL THE INFORMATION COLLECTED WHILE PERFORMING THE EXPERIMENT.

o Record number data in an organized Way (use a data table… more on this to come)

o Descriptions can be recorded like diary entries in a science journal (ie: The heads side of the penny has Abraham Lincoln’s face on it.)

columnsrowsNotice: • Organized into rows & columns• Space for more than one trial + an

average• *More on building data tables to come…

LABELSAVERAGE

Trial 1 Trial 3Trial 2 Average

Heads

Side of Penny

You may also want to include DESCRIPTIVE data about what you observe happening as you collect NUMBER data during your trials!

Tails

Trial 1 Trial 3Trial 2 Average

Heads

Side of Penny

Tails

NOW: Gather your Data!! Each person will do this individually!

What are some CONTROLS to consider?

ANOTHER SAMPLE DATA TABLEWITH DESCRIPTIVE DATA

DATE Cloud Observation at noon

August 4th Low clouds, light rain

August 5th Big puffy white clouds, some sun

August 6th High white wispy clouds, sunny

August 7th Low clouds; no blue sky

August 8th Heavy rain, thunderstorms

A NOTE ABOUTINFERENCES VS. OBSERVATIONS:

o Observation = information you gathered using one of your senses (sight, touch, smell, sounds, taste)

o Inference = a conclusion based on observations

What OBSERVATIONS or INFERENCES can you make about this picture?

ANALYZING and CONCLUDING

CREATE A GRAPH (IF APPROPRIATE)

o Graphs help you represent your data as a picture and sometimes allow you to see patterns that you might not otherwise notice.

o More on data & graphs to come!

SAMPLE DATA: WHAT BRAND OF PAPER TOWEL IS MOST ABSORBENT?

PAPER TOWEL BRANDS

Amount of liquid absorbed

(mL)

RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS

Analyze your data to determine the final outcome of the experiment.

What do you now believe as a result of the experiment or observations?

CONCLUSIONS, CONTINUED

Answer the question you were investigating (and relate your findings to your hypothesis)

Support your claim with at least 2 pieces of data (usually high and low, average OR describing data)

Use good explanatory language! Use your science content knowledge to explain why you got these results.

PRACTICE CONCLUSION WRITING

Conclusions should be a minimum of 4 sentences!

PRACTICE CONCLUSION WRITING

I found that a penny can hold about 20 drops of water. I thought it could only hold 5!

On the heads side of the penny, I calculated an average of about 22 drops.

On the tails side of the penny, I calculated an average of about 18 drops. (or you can write about descriptive data—other things you noticed!)

On average, my penny held about 20 drops. I think this happened because the water molecules stick together and build a “dome” over the top of the penny.

SHARE YOUR RESULTS Publish your findings so that

others may benefit from your work.

Write a lab report, create a poster or PowerPoint, etc.

http://www.e-journals.org/

Scientific Method by Brainpop

1. What is the first step of the scientific method?

2. Why do we say that a hypothesis is an educated guess?

3. We test a hypothesis by doing an _________________.

4. In science, a THEORY is an explanatory statement that has been _r_______________ confirmed through scientific testing.

epeatedly

Mattson Inquiry Lab Format