1. The Scientific Method © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

2. Safety in the lab Students must obey the laboratory rules © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

3. Observing the results Carrying out experiments Making observations Forming a hypothesis Forming a theory Publishing your results Accepting Rejecting THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

4. Key Skills  logical thinking, reasoning and the formation of opinions and judgements based on evidence and experiment  planning and designing of experiments  teamwork and communication  manipulation of equipment  the ability to measure and record data accurately  lateral thinking The Scientific Method develops and encourages: © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

5. Syllabus Links Investigative approach Revised Junior Certificate Science Syllabus Ref. 4. PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES IN SCIENCE – INVESTIGATIONS Investigations can be used to develop skills of logical thinking and problem solving, and can give the student an insight into the scientific process. Thus, the student can appreciate the importance of using a fair test in order to arrive at valid deductions and conclusions, and the significance of making and recording measurements and observations accurately. © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

6. The Hypothesis 1. Ask a Question: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where? 2. Do Background Research: This will help you to find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past. 3. a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work: "If _____, then _____ will ______." It should be based on your research. For example, “If leaf colour is affected by temperature, then exposing plants to different temperatures will change the colour of the leaves." © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

7. Fair Test and Variables Independent Variable: This is the variable you will change in your experiment. Dependent Variable: This is the variable that changes as a result of the changes in the independent variable. Controlled (Fixed) Variables: These are all the things that you will keep the same in your experiment. © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School

8. Hypothesis: The more calcium chloride you add to water the more the temperature increases Independent Variable: This is the variable you will change in your experiment Mass of calcium chloride (g) Dependent Variable: This is the variable that changes as a result of the changes in the independent variable Temperature of water ( O C) Controlled (Fixed) Variables: These are all the things that you have to keep the same in your experiment Same volume of water (75 ml) Same time to dissolve (2 min) Constant stirring © Sheila Porter – SciFest@School