Download Think Like a Scientist! - Mr. Ernstes` Science Classroom

Think Like a
Scientist!
The Scientific Method
OBSERVATION

When you use one or more of
your five senses to gather
information about the world

Observations are called DATA
What are some examples?

Hearing a Cow Mooooooooo

Seeing a Dog bury a bone

Smelling Choc. Chip cookies
Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Quantitative Observations:
Observations that use Numbers
For example: Measurements or counting

Qualitative Observations:
Observations that use descriptions
For example: How an animal reacts to an
event
INFERENCE

When you interpret an observation

For example:
When you hear a dog barking….
you may infer that someone is at the door!
When you see a sea lion yawning…
you may infer that he is tired!
What is a possible Inference?
What do you OBSERVE?
What can you INFER?
PREDICTION

Making an inference about a future event

For example:
If Mrs. Brennan eats 12 Chocolate Chip
Cookies…
I predict that she is going to feel sick!
Who do you predict will win? Why?
Now, Your Thinking like a
Scientist!
LETS SUMMARIZE!
In pairs, person A tells person B what we
just learned for 45 seconds…Next,
person B fills in the gaps or repeats the
main points!
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
 The
process, or steps scientists use to
gather information and answer
questions!
 Scientists
identify questions to ask by
observing the world around them!
1. Ask a Question or State a
Problem
Asking WHAT? or
HOW? to something
you observed
Can you think of an
example?
2. Research your Topic
Gather information that will
help you answer your
question.
Library, Internet, Interviews,
Experiments, Discussions,
Prior Experiences, Etc.
3. State your HYPOTHESIS
A Hypothesis is an explanation for a
question that can be formally
tested.
a.k.a: an educated guess!
If…then…
For example?
4. Design an Experiment
A procedure
designed to test your
Hypothesis…
Testing whether it is
true or false.
Must be repeatable, and
easy to understand
In a well designed Experiment, you
need to keep all variables the same
except one.


Manipulated (independent) Variable:
The factor that is changed in an experiment…it is
what you are testing!
Responding (dependent) Variable:
The result or response to what you changed…it is
usually what your are collecting data of.



Controlled Variable(s):
The factor(s) that remains the same!
Irrelevant Variable(s)
The factor(s) that have no effect on the
outcome so they can be ignored.
Controlled Experiment:
An experiment where all factors except one are
kept the same; all of these factors are called the
“controlled variables”
For example:



Question: Which freezes faster…fresh water or
salt water?
Hypothesis: IF I add salt to fresh water,
THEN the salt water will take longer to
freeze
Experiment:
MV/IV: the salt that is added to the water
RV/DV: the time it takes to freeze
Controlled Variables: All factors, or other
potential variables are kept the same, such as
start temperature and amount of water
5. Conduct your Experiment
Perform your experiment by
following your written procedure.
Be sure to follow all safety rules!
6. Collect Data
The observations and
measurements you make in an
experiment are called Data.
7. Analyze Data
Did your experiment support
your hypothesis?
What happened during your
experiment?
Does additional research need to be
conducted?
8. Conclusion
Does your data and observations
support your Hypothesis?
“My hypothesis was _______
because __________”
9. Communication
Share your results and data with
others.
Sources: written, spoken, video, TV,
papers, lecture . . .
10. New Problem
 Form
a new question or state a
New Problem on the same
topic.
 What more can you learn?
What do you still want to know?