Science and Questions

The Scientific Method

What do you mean by “science”?

• Science is the process of gathering knowledge about the natural world.

– which is another way of saying that learning science = figuring stuff out

So what does that have to do with questions?

• Science starts by asking a question– You could observe, or

see, something and ask a question

– OR

– Ask a question and then go observe

For example…

Why does the white mushroom grow under the tree and the funky one on the edge of the mulch?

So…

• As I was walking…• I observed nature (the

mushrooms).• I asked myself a

question about nature.

• Oh man, I was doing science…over the summer.

Your turn!

• Take a couple minutes to think about some questions you have about the world– My question was “Why does the white mushroom grow under the tree and the

funky one on the edge of the mulch?”– Questions like, “Why is the sky blue?”

• At the bottom of your page, come up with three questions– Now don’t worry, you don’t have to come up with the

smartest or coolest question• In fact, one of my most favorite scientific questions is…

Or I might ask“What made these tracks”

Ok I’ve got a question…now what?

• Simply put, you go find the answer!– But first, I need to word my question into a hypothesis

• So, “Why does the white mushroom grow under the tree and the funky one on the edge of the mulch?” becomes, I believe the white mushroom grows under the tree because it likes the water dripping from the leaves. Therefore, the white mushroom grows better with more water.

– Now I have a hypothesis! Step II of the Scientific Method

How do I find the answer?

– Now that you have a hypothesis, you…

– Use one of the 3 main ways scientists find answers to questions

• Research

• Observation

• Experimentation

Observation

• Looking carefully and repeatedly for details, keeping records, and often using technology– I could take many more walks

in this park and keep a journal of which mushroom type grew where

• This is the method most often used to learn about wildlife– Recommended tv:

MonsterQuest

Research• Looking it up

– Books

– Encyclopedias

– Online

– Interviews

• Be careful of your sources– .edu; .org; .gov

– BigfootRulz.com

Mushrooms Researched

• I might go to the library and look for mushroom guides

• I could interview my grandfather who regularly picks and eats wild mushrooms

• Or, I google it– “mushroom guide”– “southern US wild

mushrooms”

Experimentation• Testing the variables

– Variables are the conditions you change and observe

• For instance, I could try giving different amounts of water (the independent variable) to the two types of mushrooms and seeing how the amount of water affects growth (the dependent variable

• In other words, what happens when I…

Variables• Independent

– The thing I change

– The agent of change• Ex: water

• Dependent– The thing I hope changes

• Ex: the mushroom’s growth

• ***It is vitally important to minimize the variables– In best cases, there should

be only 1 variable

Well which one should I choose?

• Depending on your question, one of our three methods may work better than others– But for our class, we like to experiment

• Pick one of the questions you came up with– Now, with a partner, share with each other your

question and how you might test your hypothesis with an experiment

NOW WHAT?• I’ve completed my experiment

– I gave the same amount of water to both kinds of mushrooms• I’ve made my observations

– I measured the growth of the mushrooms each day with a ruler• I’ve collected my data

– The funky mushroom grew 2 inches more than the white mushroom

• I’ve compared my variable group (the mushrooms that got water) with the control group (the ones that didn’t)

Analyze the Results

• Now it’s time to organize my data

• Visuals like tables and graphs work best for displaying data quickly and efficiently

Recorded Mushroom Growth

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Funky V Funky C White V White C

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Draw Conclusions

• Now that I can see my data in a graph, I compare the data with my hypothesis (Step II)

• My hypothesis was• I believe the white mushroom grows under

the tree because it likes the water dripping from the leaves. Therefore, the white mushroom grows better with more water.

Does this data support my hypothesis?

• With a partner, take a minute to explain whether my hypothesis was supported by the data or not?– Why or why not?

Recorded Mushroom Growth

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Funky V Funky C White V White C

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Now communicate the results

• Tell people what you learned!

• Even though my hypothesis was not supported, what did I learn from the experiment?

The Scientific Method

• Since I made my first observation of the mushrooms, I completed the six steps of the scientific method– First, I asked a question– Then, I rephrased my question into a

hypothesis– Next, I tested my hypothesis

The Scientific Method

• After I completed my experiment, I analyzed the data

• Then, after comparing my data with the hypothesis, I drew a conclusion

• Since I learned something, I then communicated the results