Tag: method
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Penny Lab: Soap and Surface Tension
Most science classes begin the year with an exercise on the scientific method. It can be difficult to plan a short activity that will reinforce the main ideas of developing and testing a hypothesis. This lab is simple and doesn’t require much in the way of materials: pennies, water, and pipettes (and paper towels for…
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Investigation: Processes of Science
Students must develop their own causal question about what biological factors affect a person’s lung capacity, Then test their hypothesis using a respirometer.
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Demo: BTB and Carbon Dioxide
I have used this demonstration every year to introduce the scientific method. The worksheet below is optional and includes instructions for writing a lab report and doing a more involved investigation, but for the beginning of the year, I prefer to just have students observe and give their suggestions for how to test various hypotheses.…
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Scientific Method in Action
This simple worksheet has two reading passages, similar to what students may see on state standardized science tests. Students read a short description of a science experiment and must answer questions related to science methodology, such as identifying controls and variables and summarizing conclusions that can be drawn from the text. The two stories are…
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A Simple Demonstration for the Scientific Method
A simple demonstration using bromothymol blue to show students how the scientific method can be incorporated to determine why the chemical changed color after you blow into it with a straw.
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Investigation: Plop Plop Fizz Fizz
This investigation asks beginning students to develop a hypothesis about how quickly an effervescent tablet will dissolve and then design an experiment.
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Scientific Method – Answering Causal Questions
Examine a flow chart which considers a question about water evaporation; hypotheses are proposed to test the effects of air flow, light, and temperature.
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How Can the Scientific Method Solve Real-World Problems?
Read short stories about how scientists used the scientific method to solve real problems, such as the discovery of penicillin and the cause of beriberi.
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Student Activities on the Importance of Observation
This activity combines literature with science as a fun way to show students how important it is to make good observations in science.
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Investigation: What Are the Processes of Science
Inquiry investigation where students develop hypotheses to answer a question about lung capacity, design an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions.
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Scientific Method Scenarios
students work in groups to develop an experiment that answers a question. Students design the experiment, and must also identify the a control group and the independent and dependent variables in their experiment.
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Simple Experiments with Biodegradable Packing Peanuts
Describes what to do with all those packing peanuts you’ve received with your science orders. How about these cheap and simple student experiments!