1. Created by: Mrs. Herman 2012

2. S TEP 1: A SK Q UESTIONS Develop a question or problem that can be solved through experimentation.

3. S TEP 2: O BSERVE AND R ESEARCH Make observations and research your topic.

4. O BSERVATIONS Any information collected with the senses. Quantitative – measureable or countable 3 meters long 4 marbles 50 kilograms 35 degrees Celsius Qualitative – describable, not measureable red flowers smells like fresh baked cookies Tastes bitter Observations vs Inferences

5. I NFERENCE Conclusions or deductions based on observations. The process of drawing a conclusion from given evidence. Practice : Observations : I hear people screaming I smell cotton candy, popcorn, and hamburgers I see a lot of people Inference = ? Observations vs Inferences

6. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The bell is ringing. observation

7. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The flower has red petals. observation

8. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? They boy has tears in his eyes, so he must be sad. inference

9. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? There is a lot of red in the painting so the artist must have been angry. inference

10. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The dog has 3 legs. observation

11. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? My mom is angry. inference

12. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The cat is on top of the table. observation

13. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The kids are smiling, they must be happy inference

14. P RACTICE : O BSERVATION OR I NFERENCE ? The man has a mustache. observation

15. P RACTICE : M AKE AN OBSERVATION

16. P RACTICE : M AKE AN INFERENCE

17. P RACTICE : M AKE AN OBSERVATION

18. P RACTICE : M AKE AN INFERENCE ?

19. V ARIABLES IN AN EXPERIMENT TEST VARIABLE (also called the independent variable) is a factor that is changed Example: In an experiment to see how different soils affect the growth (or height) of plants, the test variable would be the different kinds of soil.

20. V ARIABLES IN AN EXPERIMENT OUTCOME VARIABLE (also called the dependent variable) is a factor that is the result of something being changed. It is observable or measurable. Example: In an experiment to see how different soils affect the growth (or height) of plants, the outcome variable is the height of the plants.

21. V ARIABLES IN AN EXPERIMENT CONSTANT are factors that do not change during an experiment. Example: In an experiment to see how different soils affect the growth (or height) of plants, the constants would be the amount of sunlight, amount of water, type of plant, etc.

22. V ARIABLES IN AN EXPERIMENT CONTROL a standard against which other conditions can be compared. Example: In an experiment to see if you add sugar to the soil to help plants grow taller, your control would be a plant without the sugar. All other variables would be the same.

23. PRACTICE Question 1: Will more birds visit the schoolyard if we put up a birdbath? Test Variable: Outcome Variable: Putting a birdbath in the school courtyard. The number of birds

24. PRACTICE Question 2: Does the height of the grass affect the number of robins feeding? Test Variable: Outcome Variable: Height of the grass. The number of robins.

25. S TEP 3: F ORMULATE A HYPOTHESIS  Predict a possible answer to the problem or question.  Must be written in an if/then/because statement

26. S TEP 3: F ORMULATE A HYPOTHESIS  Also written as: If ( test variable ), then ( outcome variable ) because ( fact from research ).  Example: If a plant is watered everyday, then it will grow faster because plants need water to grow.

27. S TEP 4: E XPERIMENT D ESIGN Some things to remember when developing an experiment:  Designing an experiment involves developing a step by step procedure.  Procedure is in a list 1. 2. 3.  Must include a detailed materials list. o  The outcome of the experiment must be measureable (quantifiable).

28. E XPERIMENT VS. I NVESTIGATION : W HAT IS AN EXPERIMENT ? Following the scientific method and doing and experiment to find evidence to support or not support a hypothesis. Example: What kind of liquid helps a plant grow taller?

29. E XPERIMENT VS. I NVESTIGATION : W HAT IS AN INVESTIGATION ? using observations to study the natural world without inference or manipulation. Example: Walking around school to observe and record different types of organisms in order to create a food web.

30. S TEP 5: C OLLECT AND A NALYZE RESULTS Includes tables, graphs, pictures, etc.

31. H OW TO SET UP YOUR GRAPH !

32. Y Axis This is for your outcome (dependent) variable

33. H OW TO SET UP YOUR GRAPH ! X Axis This is for your test (independent) variable

34. TAILS T T - Title Teachers’s Favorite Singer

35. TAILS T - T - Title A - Axis Teachers’s Favorite Singer Y Axis = Outcome Variable X Axis = Test Variable

36. TAILS T - T - Title A – Axis S – Scale Decide on an appropriate scale for each axis. Choose a scale that lets you make the graph as large as possible for your paper and data

37. H OW TO DETERMINE SCALE Scale is determined by your highest & lowest number. In this case your scale would be from 2 – 22. Favorite Singer Number of Teachers Toby Keith22 Madonna15 Elvis11 Sting5 Sinatra2

38. H OW TO DETERMINE I NTERVALS The interval is decided by your scale. In this case your scale would be from 2 – 22 and you want the scale to fit the graph. The best interval would be to go by 5’s. Favorite Singer Number of Teachers Toby Keith22 Madonna15 Elvis11 Sting5 Sinatra2

39. TAILS T – Title A – Axis I – Interval S – Scale The amount of space between one number and the next or one type of data and the next on the graph. The interval is just as important as the scale Choose an interval that lets you make the graph as large as possible for your paper and data

40. TAILS T – Title A – Axis I – Interval S – Scale Teachers’s Favorite Singer 0 5 10 15 20 25

41. TAILS T – Title A – Axis I – Interval L – Labels S – Scale Teachers’s Favorite Singer 0 5 10 15 20 25 Toby Keith Madonna Elvis Sting Sinatra LABEL your bars or data points Singers Number of Teachers

42. W HEN TO USE … Bar graphs Used to show data that are not continuous. Allows us to compare data like amounts or frequency or categories Allow us to make generalizations about the data Help us see differences in data Line Graphs For continuous data useful for showing trends over time

43. 2005 Playoffs – Number of Games Played PlayerGames Played Tim Duncan23 Manu Ginobili23 Tony Parker23 Robert Horry23 Nazr Mohammed23 Brent Barry23 Bruce Bowen23 Glenn Robinson13 Beno Udrih21 Devin Brown12 Rasho Nesterovic15 Tony Massenburg9 D ATA C OLLECTION : G RAPHS AND C HARTS

44. N UMBER OF G AMES P LAYED IN THE 2005 P LAYOFFS

45. D ATA C OLLECTION : G RAPHS AND C HARTS YearGames won 1991 - 9247 1992 - 9349 1993 - 9455 1994 - 9562 1995 - 9659 1996 - 9720 1997 - 9856 1998 - 9937 1999 - 0053 2000 - 0158 2001 - 0258 2002 - 0360 2003 - 0457 2004 - 0559 San Antonio Spurs Games Won Each year

46. S TEP 6: C ONCLUSION  A conclusion is a summary of information gained during experimentation.  Should be a paragraph or more

47. S TEP 6: F ORMAT OF A C ONCLUSION  Restate Problem or question  Restate your hypothesis (It was predicted that…)  Accept or reject your hypothesis  “My hypothesis was supported by the data” or  “My hypothesis was not supported by the data”  State the Facts (Provide evidence)  Actual data from the experiment (What did the data say?)  Relationships or trends in the data (Provide evidence)  Discuss any questions you may still have or what you would do different next time.  Issues or problems with the investigation (Provide evidence)  Wrap it up!  Concluding sentence with transition word, rephrased problem, and explain  Why the experiment was important.

48. S TEP 7: C OMMUNICATE R ESULTS Present the project results to an audience.

49. P RACTICE Bart Simpson believes that mice exposed to microwaves will become extra strong (maybe he’s been reading too much Radioactive Man). He decides to perform this experiment by placing 10 mice in a microwave for 10 seconds. (Do not do this at home. Bart is a misguided fictional character ) He compared these 10 mice to another 10 mice that had not been exposed. His test consisted of a heavy block of wood that blocked the mouse food. He found that 8 out of the 10 microwaved mice were able to push the block away. 7 out of the 10 non-microwaved mice were able to do the same.

50. P RACTICE 1. Identify the problem / question 2. Observe / research 3. Hypothesis 4. Experiment 5. Collect and analyze data 6. Conclusion 7. Communicate results

51. R EPLICATION VS. R EPETITION Repetition is when the same scientist completes multiple trials to limit the bias of experiment.

53. R EPLICATION VS. R EPETITION Replication is when a different scientist completes the experiment by following the same procedures. Replication is done to get same/similar results which validate the experiment.

55. PRACTICE Can you explain the difference between repetition and replication and identify their role in a controlled experiment? Which picture below represents replication and which represents repetition? Repetition – same scientist Replication – different scientist

56. Why would a scientist use repetition in an experiment? To verify the accuracy and results of the experiment. To find possible flaws in their experiment Why would a scientist replicate an experiment? So scientists can check to see if a controlled experiment was conducted and that good scientific practices were used. This is called peer review

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