Mentor Training Meeting (#2)Nov 22, 2012

Meeting Agenda Progress Review Testable Question Hypothesis (+Null) Formulation Project Approval Required Lab Notebook December Tasks Reminders

Mentor Training Checklist #2

Progress Review Met your buddy earlier this month, and have been

communicating (using email protocol) once a week

Turn in all required forms with signatures

Both you and buddy have agreed on mutual responsibilities and understand overall tasks and timeline

Worked through project ideas section in binder and have chosen (or narrowed down) a topic of interest

Start working on background research

Start forming a testable question on the chosen topic

Forming a Testable QuestionA question should be testable, or can be answered by experimentation:

What can you discover or measure by performing your experiment?

Example: “What is the effect of exercise on heart rate?”

Note: A common mistake is when students choose to create a “demonstration” such like a volcano, but it CAN’T be numerically measured

Tips: Questions to Avoid Any topic that’s based on a simple preference or taste

comparison o Example: “Which tastes better: Coke or Pepsi?” o Why? Too subjective. Need variables allowing numerical

measurements

Topics that are difficult to perform or repeat o Example: measuring nanoparticles or building complex

structure

Topics that involve dangerous, hard-to-find, expensive or illegal materials

Testable Question (cont.) A Testable Question often begins with:

~ How, What, Who, Which, Why, or Where o Example: if you’re interested in robots, your question might

be: “How much current does a robot’s arm use to lift a weight?”

Or, often it could have the word “affect” in the middle of it:o Example: “Does the height of the ramp affect how far the ball

will roll?”

*** Make sure that your Testable Question MUST involve factors or traits (variables) that you can clearly measure/identify

How to Form a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:

• Basic structure: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."

(Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)

o Note: sometimes a hypothesis will also include a “because” statement at the end

How to Form a Hypothesis (cont.)

• Your hypothesis should be a testable hypothesis

• In other words, you need to be able to measure both “what you do” (ie, Independent Variable) and “what will happen” (ie, Dependable Variable)

•

Definition:

• Independent variable (IV): The variable that is changed by the scientist. • Dependent variable (DV): The variable the scientist observes. • Controlled variables (CV): Those quantities that a scientist wants to

remain constant throughout the experiment.

How to Form a Null HypothesisNULL HYPOTHESIS ~ think of it as a backward way of looking at things. That is, if the null hypothesis says that what you do will have no effect. Then, if you can disprove that, you can have some confidence that it did indeed have an effect.

Example:

Hypothesis: If I add nutrient A to a plant, then this will make the plant grow taller.

Null Hypothesis: If I add nutrient A to a plant, then this will have no effect on the growth in height of the plant.

If you can disprove your null hypothesis (ie, your dependent variable (= nutrient) is indeed experimentally connected to the independent variable (= plant growth in length)), it will support your original hypothesis.

Example of Variables • Testable Question: • Ex: “Does heating a cup of water allow it to dissolve more

sugar?”

•Independent Variable (IV): Temperature of the water, measured in Fahrenheit (°F)

• Dependent Variable (DV): Amount of sugar that dissolves completely, measured in gram => This is the measured outcome you get

• Controlled Variables (CV): Stirring or not, type of sugar, etc, etc. ie, these are variables that are held constant

Lab Notebook The lab notebook should read like a diary from the

beginning to the end of the project

Suggested Table of Content:

Choosing a Project

Literary Research

Experimental Research (hypothesis / variables / procedures / materials, special forms, etc.) Daily Log (dates, data, thoughts, processes, etc.)

Suggested format: Use complete sentences / data tables, if possible

Your buddy must have their lab notebookat all buddy meetings, and during experiment.

December Tasks

Finalize Topic / Testable Question for approval, if you haven’t already done so

Discuss how to use a Lab Notebook with buddy

Continue with more Background Research

Form a Hypothesis (+null)

Identify Independent/Dependent/Control Variables

Draft a Procedure and Materials list

Review appropriate binder sections with buddy

Due Dec. 20 ~ Topic / Testable Question, Hypothesis, Control, Variables, Proposed Procedure & Materials

Project Approval Required • All experiments require approval by the Advisor, Mrs.

Bandrowski, before experimentation. Any question, contact us at:

• admin@mvsciencealliance.org

• AND Mrs. Bandrowski at

• L.Bandrowski@mvsciencealliance.org• • In the subject line put:

o “SA Project Approval Request” ~ if seeking approval for project

o “SA Project Materials Request” ~ if seeking to borrow materials.

Reminders!

Make sure you email your buddy at least once a week!

o Don’t forget to CC communications, your mentor trainer, and the buddy’s parent

If they don’t reply, CALL them

Mentor-Buddy Meeting, next Monday Dec 3, 2012, after school

3:15pm – 5:30pmWrite it in your planner!