Scientific Method and Measurements

Activity 2: Pre-Assessment

1. When doing an experiment, why is it beneficial to alter only one experimental condition at a time?
2. How can you ensure that your experiment results aren’t influenced by any outside conditions?
3. Discuss the answers to questions 1 and 2 with the class.

Activity 2: The Scientific Method

Safety Precautions

• Inform your teacher immediately of any broken glassware, as it could cause injuries.
• Clean up any spilled fluids to prevent other people from slipping.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after completion of the activity.

For this activity, you will need the following:

• Water
• Sugar or salt
• Beakers
• Ice
• Hot plate
• Thermometer

For this activity, you will work in pairs.

Structured Inquiry

Step 1: Hypothesize/Predict: Examine the materials available in the lab. Think of a question you could examine about the available materials (e.g., does sugar dissolve faster in warm water than in ice-cold water?). Formulate a clear, specific hypothesis that you could test during the lab period. Record your hypothesis in the data table.

Step 2: Student-Led Planning: Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Set up a data table in your notebook to record your data. Write out the steps of your experiment and devise positive and negative controls. Discuss your plan with your teacher before proceeding.

Step 3: After your teacher approves, execute your experiment and record the data in your data table.

Step 4: Critical Analysis: Does your data support your hypothesis? Why or why not? What methods could you use to improve your results? Discuss with your partner, and then write your answers in your notebook.

Guided Inquiry

Step 1: Hypothesize/Predict: Redesign the experiment you previously performed in the Structured Inquiry. Create a more specific hypothesis or create a follow-up hypothesis that you can test based on the results of the Structured Inquiry.

Step 2: Student-Led Planning: Create a plan for your experiment, including controls and data tables. As before, your teacher should approve your plan before you start your experiment.

Step 3: After your teacher approves, execute your experiment and record the data in your data table.

Step 4: Critical Analysis: Does your data support your hypothesis? Why or why not? How did you improve your experiment over what you did in the Structured Inquiry? How could you further improve your results? Discuss with your partner, and then write your answers in your notebook.

Assessments

1. What is the purpose of the scientific method?
2. You observe that plants sitting in one location in your house grow faster than plants sitting in another location. Create a testable hypothesis to test why this occurs. Then, describe an experiment that would test your hypothesis that includes controls.