I.

SUBJECT MATTER
Topic: The Scientific Method
Subtopic: Characteristics of a Scientist
References:

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. identify the steps of the scientific method;
2. recognize the characteristics of a scientist

III. ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

A. The Scientific Method
1. The scientific method is a process used to systematically
investigate observations, solve problems, and test hypotheses.
The scientific method helps scientists to ensure that the theories
they test are true by testing a hypothesis with tests.
2. When conducting research, scientists use the scientific method
to collect measurable, empirical evidence in an experiment
related to a hypothesis (often in the form of an if/then
statement), the results aiming to support or contradict a theory.
B. Have you ever asked yourself?
1.
The scientific method can be applied to any problem that you
need to solve, lets take a look at an example.
First we need to start identifying the Problem.
1. Problem
The first step of the scientific method is to state the problem. It
is important to clearly state what your problem is to avoid confusion
later in the scientific method.
A problem is a question to be considered, solved or answered.
Everybody constantly encounters minor problems everyday. Most
days start with the question. Should I get out of bed or not? That
is a problem.

Example:
The problem we have chosen is Which one of the two paper
towel will absorb more water?

After we state the problem, we must make observations about

the problem.
2. Observations
The second step of the scientific method is making observations
about the
problem.
An observation is an act of noting and recording something with
instruments.
 Observtions help scientists decide how certain variables might
affect the problem.

Example:
For our problem Which paper towel will absorb more water?
we make
observations by comparing the two different types of paper
towel.
Brand A paper towel is larger in size than Brand B paper
towel.
Brand A paper towel is twice as thick as Brand B. paper
towel.

Based on these observations we can form a Hypothesis.

3. Hypothesis
The third step of the scientific method is to form a hypothesis.
The hypothesis is formed by examining the observation carefully
and making an educated guess as to what the outcome might be.
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation that accounts for a set of
facts and be tested by further investigation.

Example:
For our problem, based on the observations that Brand A paper
towel is both larger and thicker than Brand B paper towel that
Brand A paper towel will be able to absorb more water.

Now we need a way to test the hypothesis.

4. Experiment
The fourth step of the scientific method is to do an experiment
that tests the
hypothesis. The experiment must be unbiased in nature,
meaning that the scientist
cannot create an experiment that will favor the outcome that
they have predicted i
their hypothesis.
An experiment is a test under controlled condition that is made
to demonstrate
a known truth or examine the validity of a hypothesis.

5. Conclusion
The fifth step of the scientific method is to draw a conclusion.
Scientists draw
conclusions by examining the data from the experiment. There are
basically two
 possible outcomes. Either the experiment supported the
hypothesis and can be
regarded as true, or the experiment disproved the hypothesis as
false. If the
hypothesis is false, repeat the steps in the scientific method and
make adjustments
to your hypothesis.

If the hypothesis turns out to be false, there are some questions to

ask to find out
why:
What was wrong with the original hypothesis?
Did you make poor observations?
Was you experiment flawed?

A conclusion is the result or outcome of an act or process.

Example:
For our problem, we were correct in hypothesizing that
Brand A paper towels larger size and thickness helped it absorb
more water than Brand B paper towels smaller size and
thinness. We have proved our hypothesis to be true.