1. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
Scientific Practices

2. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
What is an Experiment?

3. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
Ask meaningful questions.
Questions are precise
Questions can be answered through observation, research & testing

4. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
Ask meaningful questions.
Questions are precise
Questions can be answered through observation, research & testing
Poor Question: Do roses dislike the shade?
This question is not precise and is difficult to test:
Do you mean cut roses or rose bushes?
How do you measure “dislike” ?

5. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
Ask meaningful questions.
Questions are precise
Questions can be answered through observation, research & testing
Poor Question: Do roses dislike the shade?
This question is not precise and is difficult to test:
Do you mean cut roses or rose bushes?
How do you measure “dislike” ?
Better Question: Does shade slow growth in rose bushes?
This question is easier to test:
You can measure “growth” !

6. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
Ask meaningful questions.
Use Scientific Method to find answers to those questions.

7. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is Scientific Inquiry?
Ask meaningful questions.
Use Scientific Method to find answers to those questions.
Make an Observation
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions
The Scientific Method
is a series of steps that
guides investigations.

8. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions
Data do NOT support
the Hypothesis
Data support
the Hypothesis

9. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions

10. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
My computer is not plugged in.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions

11. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
My computer is not plugged in.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Check if the computer
is plugged in.
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions

12. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
My computer is not plugged in.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Check if the computer
is plugged in.
Analyze Data
The computer is
plugged in.
Draw Conclusions

13. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
My computer is not plugged in.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Check if the computer
is plugged in.
Analyze Data
The computer is
plugged in.
Draw Conclusions
Data do NOT support
the Hypothesis
My computer is plugged in.
So, this is not why it
isn’t turning on.

14. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
My computer is not plugged in.
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
The outlet is not working.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions
Data do NOT support
the Hypothesis

15. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
My computer is not plugged in.
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
The outlet is not working.
Check if a working lamp will turn on when plugged into the outlet.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusions

16. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
My computer is not plugged in.
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
The outlet is not working.
Check if a working lamp will turn on when plugged into the outlet.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
The lamp does not
does not turn on.
Draw Conclusions

17. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method
Make an Observation
My computer will not turn on!
My computer is not plugged in.
State a Hypothesis
(prediction)
The outlet is not working.
Check if a working lamp will turn on when plugged into the outlet.
Plan & Conduct an Experiment
Analyze Data
The lamp does not
does not turn on.
Draw Conclusions
My computer will not
turn on because the
outlet isn’t working.

18. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
An Experiment tests the hypothesis (prediction).
Only ONE variable (thing) is changed in an experiment.
This is so you can find out which variable causes the outcome of the experiment.

19. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
Example:
You want to do an experiment on Plant Growth.

20. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
Example:
You want to do an experiment on Plant Growth.
What are some Variables that can affect
Plant Growth?

21. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
Example:
You want to do an experiment on Plant Growth.
What are some Variables that can affect
Plant Growth?
sunlight water fertilizer

22. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
Example:
You want to do an experiment on Plant Growth.
What are some Variables that can affect
Plant Growth?
sunlight water fertilizer
Pick one variable that you want to test

23. Lesson 1: Scientific Inquiry
What is an Experiment?
Example:
You want to do an experiment on Plant Growth.
What are some Variables that can affect
Plant Growth?
sunlight water fertilizer
Pick one variable that you want to test

24. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
This ONE variable that you will change is called
the Independent Variable. (It is the variable that
you manipulate.)
sunlight water fertilizer

25. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
What do you want to observe when you
change that ONE independent variable (water)?
What is an Experiment?
sunlight water fertilizer ?

26. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
What do you want to observe when you
change that ONE variable (water)?
sunlight water fertilizer
plant growth

27. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
What do you want to observe when you
change that ONE variable (water)?
The variable that is observed and changes in
response to the Independent Variable is called
the Dependent Variable. (The variable that is measured.)
sunlight water fertilizer
plant growth

28. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
How are you going to know if water (the independent variable) causes a change in plant growth (the dependent variable)?
You need to be able to
COMPARE the group that
is given water to another
group… one that is not
given water. This is the Control Group.

29. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
If the Experimental Group (given water) shows an increase plant growth compared to the Control Group (not given water), then you can conclude that water caused the increase in plant growth.

30. Lesson 1: What is an Experiment?
Example: Plant Growth Experiment
You can conclude that water caused the increase in plant growth because the only variable that you changed was the water. All other variables (sun, fertilizer) were controlled/ were the same for the two groups. (The only difference between the experimental group and the control group is that the experimental group was given water and the control group was not.)