Tag: scientific
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What Causes Algae Growth in Ponds?
Students examine data on two ponds to determine what is causing the algae growth in the pond near a farm.
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Measuring Water Quality with Biodiversity
Students manipulate data to show how water quality and stream diversity are connected. Dataclassroom is used to analyze data sets and complete a CER.
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CER – How Effective Are Masks at Preventing Disease
Students examine data that show the effectiveness of mask wearing and the prevention of disease. The activity is a CER format (claim, evidence, reasoning.)
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Scientific Method Study on Beriberi and Chickens
Revised version of the Scientific Method in Action worksheet that focuses on the chickens who became sick due to a vitamin deficiency.
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CER and Data Analysis
CER introduction to scientific argumentation (claim, evidence, reasoning), Analyze a graph showing ACE2 receptors by age group.
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Highlight the Manipulated and Responding Variables
This worksheet describes the difference between an independent (manipulated) and dependent (responding) variable and then asks students to practice by identifying variables in short sentences.
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Podcast – Good Vibrations and Treehoppers
Introduce your students to the world of science podcasts! Listen to a short audio clip on treehoppers and how they use sound to attract mates.
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CER – Data Analysis with Sharks
Shark data by month where students make a LINE graph to show how the population changes over time. Students complete a CER to discuss results.
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Investigation: Heat Loss and Insulation in a Jar
This simple experiment can be used as a way to introduce the scientific method. Students design an experiment to test which materials are the best insulators by measuring heat loss. The materials are simple, and the experiment doesn’t take very long. They will need two beakers per group, a thermometer, and hot water. Also, a…
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Can Plants Learn?
An experiment to determine if plants could learn by association Identify key features, such as variables, controls. Based on a real experiment in Nature.com.
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Early Discoveries – CER
Students who are just learning how to do CER’s (claim, evidence, reasoning) often struggle when they are required to develop their own claims and evidence statements. In this activity, students read stories about historical science, such as Redi’s experiment on meat and maggots and Louis Pasteur’s experiments with the s-shaped flask. The stories are short,…
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Fortune Telling Fish
This activity is perfect for a first day or as an introduction to the scientific method. Though there isn’t quite as much cooperation as the “Saving Sam” activity, the fortune telling fish allows students to explore the nature of science together. The handout linked can be given to students, or you can also project them…
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Independent & Dependent Variables Practice
Students reach short scenarios about scientific experiments. They identify the controls and variables in each story.
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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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Graphing Hand Span and Height
This exercise illustrates the difference between bar graphs and scatter plots and walks students through the process of representing data they collect.