The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

1. Choose a book from our bookshelf in the back of the room (you may also read your own book if you have one with you).

2. Read silently at your desk until 8:40 am.3. At 8:40 am, please, silently put away your

books, take out a pen or a pencil and a sheet of paper.

Catalyst September 3, 2014Write the homework down in your science

notebook and in your agenda.Homework: Complete your scientific skills

review DUE TOMORROW.Directions: Answer the following questions in

your notebook.1. What does it mean for something to be true

or what does the word “truth” mean?2. How does a scientist determine what is true

and what isn’t?

Let’s discuss.• What does truth mean to a scientist?• How do scientists figure out what is true and

what isn’t?• Is finding the truth for a scientist different

than finding the truth for the rest of our community?

• What is the difference between a theory and a fact?

• Can a theory become a fact?

What is the scientific Method?And why do scientists use it?

• To replicate results• To make sure they’re gathering all

of the information they need• To make sure their information is

accurate

What might happen if they didn’t use the scientific method?

Please set-up your notebook like this:

Notes: Scientific Method September 3

Remind me, when we see words that are written in purple, what does that mean we should do?

• Scientific Method - a specific set of steps that scientists use to answer questions.

Steps of the Scientific Method:1) Problem 2) Research2) Hypothesis3) Experiment4) Analyze Data5) Conclusion

Write these steps in order on the front of your foldable. Make sure to write each step in a different box.

• The scientific method is a specific set of steps to answer questions.

1) Problem 2) Research2) Hypothesis3) Experiment4) Analyze Data5) Make a conclusion

1) Problem – when scientists use their observations to come up with a question that they want to answer Write this definition on

the inside of your foldable. Write it in the first empty box under the heading that says “Definition.”

Table Group Point!

1. What is an observation?

2. Give me an example of an observation.

Can we turn an observation into a question?

• Example:– Observations:• The ceiling is taller than the students.• There are more girls than boy in my third block.

Questions?• ?• ?

A Good Scientific Question…

• Write this in your notebook:

–Good scientific questions are testable and specific.• Testable-This means that you can do an

experiment to test your inference.–Avoids opinion

–Specific

–Keeps scientists focused on just one idea

Does hot water freeze faster than cold water?Is it a good scientific question?

YES NO

Does hot water freeze faster than cold water?Is it a good scientific question?

YES NO

A:

S:

K:

It is testable, you could freeze hot water and cold water. It also avoids opinions, this is an observable fact.

It specifically explains what is being done (freezing) and to what substances (hot and cold water)It keeps the scientist focused because they are only changing one thing- the type of water.

Do cats make better pets than dogs?Is it a good scientific question? YES NO

Do cats make better pets than dogs?Is it a good scientific question?

YES NO A

S

K

XXX

: It is not testable, it would be difficult to measure and explain “better.” It does not avoid opinion, who makes better pets is an opinion

: It is not very specific, “better” is broad and vague.

: It does not keep the scientist focused because it is not setting them up for just one experiment.

Let’s rewrite it:

• What do we want “better” to mean?• How will we define it?

Examples: Make it testable

• Are dogs or cats more likely to come to the door when you come home from school or work?

Table Group Point!• Turn the following observations into scientific

questions:– There are lockers in the hall. – A cheetah is faster than the fastest Olympic

athlete. – People seem learn more from creating models

than from watching videos.

Your Turn!

• Think of your own scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Write your own scientific question or problem

statement in the first empty box in the Example section.

Step 2: Research• Research – find out as

much as you can about your question– We don’t need to do an

experiment if someone has already answered our question.

Add this step to the outside of your foldable, and add the definition to the inside of your foldable.

Your Turn!

• Look at your example of a scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Write one thing that you already know about

your question in the next empty box in the Example section.

Volunteers?

Step 3: Hypothesis

• Hypothesis – Answer your question with what you think will happen; a hypothesis ALWAYS uses:

“I think _______, because ________.”

Example:1. I think a scoop of chocolate ice cream

will melt faster than a Hershey’s Kiss.2. I think flowers will grow better in

orange juice than in water, because orange juice has more nutrients.

Your Turn!

• Look at your example of a scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Write your hypothesis in the next empty box

in the Example section.• Make sure that your hypothesis has an “I

think” AND a “because.”

Volunteers?

Table Group Point!

• What is the difference between an observation and an inference?

• Is a hypothesis more like an observation or more like an inference? Explain.

Step 4: Experiment!

• An experiment is a procedure that tests the hypothesis.

• Variable – factor in the experiment that is being tested

• A good or “valid” experiment will only have ONE variable being tested!

Your Turn!

• Look at your example of a scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Briefly describe how you could test your

hypothesis.

Volunteers?

Step 5: Analyze the Data

• What are your results?• May be quantitative

(numbers) or qualitative (describable)

• Analyze the Data –organize your information from the experiment into charts, tables, or graphs

Your Turn!• Look at your example of a scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Make up the data that you would expect to

get from your experiment. • Remember! In a real experiment, we will not

make up data. We will collect it.

Volunteers?

6: Make a Conclusion• Conclusion - the answer

to your hypothesis based on the data from your experiment

In order to verify the results, experiments

must be retested.

Your Turn!• Look at your example of a scientific question.• On the inside of your foldable, find the column

with the title “Example.”• Write what your conclusion would be based

on the data that you wrote in the box above.

Volunteers?

7: Repeat

• Why do we repeat experiments?

Let’s Recap!

• http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificmethod/

We will be taking the quiz afterward, so be sure to pay close attention!

BRAIN BUSTER!!

Who can name ALL 6 steps in the right order?

Let’s bring it back to our discussion.• How do scientists figure out what is true and

what isn’t?• Can a theory become a truth? • Are there truths that exist that cannot be

found by using the scientific method?• Can you think of any scientific truths that have

helped to shape history or that have impacted our lives?

What is a mnemonic device?

What is a mnemonic device?

• Problem Statement

• Research

• Hypothesis

• Experiment

• Analyze Data

• Conclusion

In your notebook, you are going to come up with a mnemonic device (or a way of remembering the steps of the scientific method) using the first letter of each word.

Example:My Mercury Very VenusEnergetic EarthMother MarsJust JupiterServed SaturnUs UranusNachos Neptune