Journal #2 Locate the following safety equipment (tell me where they are in the classroom): Fire extinguisher Fire Blanket Vent hood Eye wash Safety shower

Introduction to the Scientific Method

Today’s Learning Goal: Today, we will identify the steps of the scientific method.

Video Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7sSuhQ1_24

The scientific method can be stated several ways It involves looking at the world around you, coming up with an explanation for what you observe, testing your explanation and then either accepting your explanation or rejecting the explanation and trying to come up with a better one.

Scientific Method Steps 1. Make an observation

Scientific Method Steps 2. Ask questions 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.

Scientific Method Steps 3. Create a hypothesis A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. Most of the time a hypothesis is written like this: "If _____[I do this]_____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." (Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.) Your hypothesis should be something that you can actually test, what's called a testable hypothesis. In other words, you need to be able to measure both "what you do" and "what will happen."

Scientific Method Steps 4. Conduct an experiment to the test the hypothesis Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. 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.

Scientific Method Steps 5. Collect data While performing you experiment, collect your measurements and analyze them to see if your hypothesis is true or false.

Scientific Method Steps 6. Conclusion Write a conclusion summarizing the results of your experiment. Scientists often find that their hypothesis was false, and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis starting the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was true, they may want to test it again in a new way.

The independent variable is the one condition that you change in an experiment The dependent variable is the variable that you measure or observe. The dependent variable gets its name because it is the factor that is dependent on the state of the independent variable. A control group in a scientific experiment is a group separated from the rest of the experiment where the independent variable being tested cannot influence the results. This isolates the independent variable's effects on the experiment and can help rule out alternate explanations of the experimental results.

Example 1: Mr. Smith believes that a special juice will increase the productivity of workers. He creates two groups of 50 workers each and assigns each group the same task (in this case, they're supposed to staple a set of papers.) Group A is given the special juice to drink while they work. Group B is not given the special juice. After an hour, Mr. Smith counts how many stacks of papers each group has made. Group A made 1,587 stacks, Group B made 2,113 stacks.

What is the control group? The control group of this example is Group B, because they are not given the special juice. They are just there for explaining the results. What is the experimental group? The experimental group of this example is Group A, because they are given the special juice. This is the factor that you are experimenting on. What is the independent variable? The special juice What is the dependent variable? Stacks of papers

Example 2: A horticulturist (plant scientist) complains to the city that a nearby residence is ruining his sunflowers because of the detergent being used to wash their cars. The soap runs into a stream that goes near his flower beds. As an inquiring scientist, you want to find out whether soap can affect sunflower growth. -Explain an experiment that could be conducted to test this.

What is the control group? The control group of this example is the flowers given no soap. What is the experimental group? Flowers given soap What is the independent variable? The Soap What is the dependent variable? Flower growth

Scientific Method for M&Ms What things might we want to know about this bag of M&M’s? Can we create a hypothesis? How can we determine which hypothesis is correct? What data will we collect? Groups

Today’s Assignment The squares I gave you are in incorrect order Cute the squares out Arrange them in the correct order Glue/tape them onto a separate piece of paper Turn into the tray when complete

Review What is the first step of the scientific method? How must a hypothesis be written? When conducting an experiment, how many factors should be changed?

What Is Today’s Learning Goal? We will identify the steps of the scientific method.

Exit Ticket List the steps of the Scientific Method