How Scientists Work Series

What is the Scientific Method?

Produced by
Centre Communications

Teacher’s Guide by
Gerald O. Gunderson,
B.S., Secondary Education,
Comprehensive Science
M.A., Biological Science

and

Gail Matthews

Distributed by...

800.323.9084 | FAX 847.328.6706 | www.unitedlearning.com

This video is the exclusive property of the copyright hold-
er. Copying, transmitting, or reproducing in any form, or
by any means, without prior written permission from the
copyright holder is prohibited (Title 17, U.S. Code Sections
501 and 506).
© 2003 Centre Communications
 Table of Contents
Introduction to the Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Summary of the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Links to Curriculum Standards . . . . . . . . . .2

Student Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Pre-Test and Post-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Instructional Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Student/Audience Preparation . . . . . . . . . .4

Description of Blackline Masters . . . . . . . .5

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Internet Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Script of Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

This video is closed captioned.

The purchase of this program entitles the user to the right to repro-
duce or duplicate, in whole or in part, this teacher’s guide and the
blackline master handouts that accompany it for the purpose of
teaching in conjunction with this program, What Is The Scientific
Method? This right is restricted only for use with this program.
Any reproduction or duplication in whole or in part of this guide
and the blackline master handouts for any purpose other than for
use with this program is prohibited.
 CLASSROOM/LIBRARY
CLEARANCE NOTICE

This program is for instructional use. The cost of each

program includes public performance rights as long as no
admission charge is made. Public performance rights are
defined as viewing of a video in the course of face-to-face
teaching activities in a classroom, library, or similar setting
devoted to instruction.

Closed Circuit Rights are included as a part of the public

performance rights as long as closed-circuit transmission is
restricted to a single campus. For multiple locations, call
your United Learning representative.

Television/Cable/Satellite Rights are available. Call your

United Learning representative for details.

Duplication Rights are available if requested in large quantities.

Call your United Learning representative for details.

Quantity Discounts are available for large purchases. Call

your United Learning representative for information and
pricing. Discounts, and some special services, are not
applicable outside the United States.

Your suggestions and recommendations are welcome.

Feel free at any time to call United Learning
at 1-800-323-9084.
 How Scientists Work Series
What is the Scientific Method?
Grades 5-8
Viewing Time: 20:35 minutes with a
one-minute, five-question Video Quiz

INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES

How Scientists Work is a series of three programs

designed for middle school students. The series, using
junior science investigators, animation and excellent pho-
tography, explores the procedures that underlie all of sci-
ence. Including both everyday and scientific examples,
each program clearly delineates the procedures of 1) pat-
tern recognition, 2) scientific inquiry and 3) scientific
method. Each procedure is placed in an historical context
featuring key scientists and discoveries.

These instructional programs teach the basic procedure

scientists use to discover and explain the world around
us. This Teacher's Guides and accompanying Blackline
Master activity sheets provide extended practice and
additional learning opportunities.

SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM

What is the Scientific Method? teaches the procedural

steps for finding answers to scientific questions. Using
these basic procedures: 1) asking a question, 2) forming
an hypothesis, 3) designing and conducting an experi-
ment, 4) analyzing the results of the experiment, and 5)
drawing a conclusion, students can experience how sci-
entists make sense of their surroundings. Students per-
form various experiments applying these procedures to
come to conclusions, but also learn that variables can
affect the outcome, and not every experiment answers a
question.
1
The material in this program will:
1. Demonstrate the scientific method with experiments.
2. Teach five basic steps of the scientific method.
3. Illustrate six elements of any experimental stage.
4. Explain that scientific method is important because it
provides a procedure to test anyone's experimental
results.
5. Show that scientific method forces the experimenter to
explain and ask why they obtained their results.
6. Reveal how science continually advances by the ask-
ing of new questions.

LINKS TO CURRICULUM STANDARDS

What is the Scientific Method? correlates to the follow-

ing standards:

National Science Education Standards for grades 5-8

Science as Inquiry, Content Standard A
2 Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
3 Understandings about scientific inquiry
History and Nature of Science, Content Standard G
2 Nature of Science
3 History of Science

McREL Science Standard and Benchmarks

Nature of Science, Standard 11, "Understands the nature
of scientific knowledge,"
Level III, grades 6-8, #1, #2, #3.
Nature of Science Standard 12, "Understands the nature
of scientific inquiry,"
Level II, #1-5 and Level III, grades 6-8, #3, #5, #6, #7, #8.

2
 STUDENT OBJECTIVES

After viewing the program and completing the follow-up

activities, students should be able to:

• Design and conduct a simple scientific investigation

incorporating the five steps of the scientific method: 1)
asking a question, 2) forming an hypothesis, 3) designing
and conducting an experiment, 4) analyzing the results of
the experiment and, 5) drawing a conclusion.

• Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze,

and interpret data.

• Review data from a simple experiment, summarize the

data, and logically form a cause and effect connection.

• Begin to state some explanations in terms of the rela-

tionship between two or more variables.

PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST

Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test, is an assessment tool

intended to gauge student comprehension of the objec-
tives prior to viewing the program. Explain that they are
not expected to get all answers correct, but they are
expected to try their best. You can remind them that these
are key concepts that they should focus on while watch-
ing the program.

Blackline Master #2, Post-Test, can be compared to the

results of the Pre-Test to determine the changes in stu-
dent comprehension after participation in the activities
and viewing the program.

3
 INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES

Before presenting this program to your students, we sug-

gest that you preview the program and review this guide
and accompanying Blackline Master activities in order to
familiarize yourself with the content. Feel free to dupli-
cate any of the Blackline Masters and distribute them to
your students.

As you review the materials presented in this guide, you

may find it necessary to make some changes, additions,
or deletions to meet the specific needs of your class. We
encourage you to do this. Only by tailoring this program
to your class will your students obtain the maximum
instructional benefits afforded by the materials.

STUDENT/AUDIENCE PREPARATION
Prior to viewing the program, you may wish to give stu-
dents the Pre-Test, which can help them become more
aware of the scope of the program. It is important that
students work through the material and familiarize them-
selves with the vocabulary, concepts, and theories that
scientists use to understand this field.

The program concludes with a five-question True/False

Video Quiz that may be used to gauge students' compre-
hension immediately after the presentation of the pro-
gram. Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz, is a printed copy
of the questions, which may be reproduced and distrib-
uted to the students. The answers to the questions
appear in the answer key of this Teacher's Guide.

• View the program. The running time is 20:35 minutes.

4
 DESCRIPTION OF BLACKLINE MASTERS

Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test, is an assessment tool

intended to gauge student comprehension of the objec-
tives prior to viewing the program.

Blackline Master #2, Post-Test, is an assessment tool to

be administered after viewing the program and complet-
ing additional activities. The results of this assessment
can be compared to the results of the Pre-Test to deter-
mine the change in student comprehension before and
after participation in this lesson.

Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz, is intended to reinforce

the key concepts of the program immediately following
the presentation of the program. The Video Quiz can be
used as a tool to outline salient points before viewing the
program.

Blackline Master #4, Fill in the Flow Chart, is to help

students understand how the scientific method breaks
down, including the steps for experimentation. With a pen
or pencil and a copy of this Blackline Master, students can
identify the steps of the scientific method.

Blackline Master #5, Two Ears Versus Only One Ear, is

fun and serves to engage the whole classroom in one big
experiment that reinforces experimentation with a vari-
able. Materials needed are a leader, a coin, volunteers, a
stool or chair, tennis ball, and a wastebasket.

Blackline Master #6, Ball Bounce, involves an experi-

ment using measurement and math in the form of aver-
aging. Then if you have time, make a graph of the results.
Materials needed: A rubber ball, a measuring stick; and a
copy of this Blackline Master. This exercise reinforces the
steps of the scientific method and allows students to be
the experimenters.
5
Blackline Masters #7 and 7a, A Message Traveling
Along Nerves. How much time does it take information to
travel from your eye through the brain, and then to your
hand? For this experiment you will need a ruler at least
12 inches, or 30 centimeters long, and a partner. If stu-
dents have trouble catching the ruler, use a two-foot ruler,
yard/meter stick, or round wooden dowel.

ANSWER KEY

Blackline Master #1, Pre-Test

1) d 6) a
2) c 7) d
3) b 8) d
4) b 9) b
5) a 10) d

Blackline Master #2, Post-Test

1) b 6) b
2) c 7) b
3) a 8) c
4) d 9) a
5) d 10) a

Blackline Master #3, Video Quiz

1) True
2) True
3) True
4) True
5) False

Blackline Master #4, Fill in the Step Chart

Ask a question
Form a hypothesis
Design and conduct an experiment
Gather materials
Know how to use a piece of equipment
6
 Observe and record data
Identify a single test variable and control other variables
Perform measurements
Analyze results and draw conclusions

INTERNET SITES

Mankato Area Public Schools Resources

www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjInter.html.
At this address is an intermediate level guide, which con-
tains information from Experimental Science Projects: An
Introductory Level Guide. Additional material has been
added to help distinguish between different types of sci-
entific studies. More details are also given about the
experimental scientific method, and the steps involved.
Several new sections have been added, most notably one
that introduces experimental errors. As you read about
the various steps, you may want to follow along with an
example science project available online.

University of California at Cleremont - Biology Home Page

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm
This site shows the steps that make up the Scientific
Method. It's fun and colorful and demonstrates some
experiments. Then you can fill out a form to answer
experimental questions online.

Center For Improved Engineering and Science

Education
www.k12science.org/currichome.html - for student proj-
ects and teacher download
CIESE sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects
that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance
their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet.
They focus on projects that utilize realtime data available
from the Internet, and collaborative projects that utilize
the Internet's potential to reach peers and experts around
7
the world. There is a catalog of projects that that are cur-
rently being or have been sponsored by CIESE . Each
project has a brief description and links to the National
Science Standards and NCTM math standards it sup-
ports.

SCRIPT OF NARRATION

NARRATOR: Science has become a dominant force in

modern society. Discoveries made by scientists have
reshaped how we look at the world and have led to tech-
nological breakthroughs that have put men and women in
space, cured deadly diseases, and made life easier for
millions of people. Underlying many scientific discoveries
are common procedures, procedures people use to make
sense of their surroundings in daily life. In this program
we will present a procedure called The scientific method

What is the scientific method?

NARRATOR: How are we to know if something we hear
about in nature is true? Some people are saying that the
Earth's climate is changing, getting warmer, and if this
warming is actually happening will the weather become
more extreme? For instance, will there be more droughts,
hurricanes, and tornadoes? And will these extreme
events become more intense? Other people say the cli-
mate is actually cooling. How are we to know the truth
about these matters?

KYRA: Over time people have developed an outstanding

procedure for uncovering the secrets of nature; it's called
the scientific method. The reason the scientific method is
outstanding is that when you use its five steps to solve a
problem this procedure can be repeated by anyone, to
check out firsthand the truth of someone else's results or
conclusions. It's sort of like one time, when I heard that
8
white light was made up of a blend of many colors. Hard
to believe white light is actually a blend of many colors,
right? But with the use of a simple tool like a glass prism
anyone can discover the rainbow of different colors by
passing light through this piece of glass. Using the prism
here to show what light is made up of, is a relatively sim-
ple experiment. And experiments are all part of the sci-
entific method. An experiment like that is why I don't have
to take it on faith or believe it because some very well
known person said he or she knew it was true. The sci-
entific method is like that.

NARRATOR: In fact, experiments are an everyday part

of science and the cornerstone of the scientific method.
Let's look in a general way at the steps that make up the
scientific method.

STEP ONE: ASK A QUESTION

ALANA: As you can see I am drinking hot chocolate from
this cup, and the cup is made of a ceramic material. As
you all know, hot drinks are also served in paper and sty-
rofoam containers. Now I wonder, which of these three
types of materials would keep my hot chocolate drink hot
the longest?

STEP TWO: FORM A HYPOTHESIS

NARRATOR: Alana has noticed most coffee shops serve
hot drinks in paper cups. So could it be reasonable to
assume that paper is the best insulator? That is, it should
do the best job of keeping the coffee hot. Now Alana
believes she is ready to make a hypothesis, a prediction:
the paper will hold the heat in longer because it is a bet-
ter insulating material. In a sense she has made an edu-
cated guess as to what is going to happen. So what is her
next step?

9
STEP THREE: DESIGN AND CONDUCT AN
EXPERIMENT
NARRATOR: How can Alana find out what really is the
truth about the materials that make up these containers?
One way is to design an experiment, which will actually
demonstrate to Alana which container has the best insu-
lating material. Suppose she puts the three types of con-
tainers side by side, heats up some water and pours
equal amounts of the hot water into each of the contain-
ers. It would be good to measure and record the temper-
ature in each container at the very beginning to verify they
are all the same. Then she would record the temperature
again five minutes later and repeat this procedure until
twenty minutes has passed. She would write-down the
measured temperatures for each kind of container at the
five-minute interval At the end of the 20 minutes, the
experiment would be completed.

STEP FOUR: ANALYZE THE RESULTS OF THE

EXPERIMENT
NARRATOR: Here is a graph plotting the temperature
change for each container. We can see after 20 minutes,
the temperature in the ceramic mug was 110 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 43.34 degrees Celsius, the paper 112
degrees Fahrenheit, 44.44 degrees Celsius, and the sty-
rofoam retained the heat the best at 120 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 48.89 degrees Celsius.

So Alana's prediction that the paper would be the best

insulator turned out to be rejected. Perhaps there are
other reasons paper is used more often in coffee shops.
Paper may be cheaper or more recyclable.

STEP FIVE: DRAW A CONCLUSION

Based on our observation, Styrofoam is the best insulator
for keeping the hot chocolate hot the longest. In addition,
the whole procedure may raise some new questions: Why
10
is styrofoam a better insulator? Or if the paper were thick-
er, would the results have been different?

One way to look at the basic steps used in the scientific

method is to divide them up into three stages: pre-exper-
imental stage; experimental stage, and post experimental
stage.

STAGE ONE - Pre-Experimental Stage

Finding a question and forming an hypothesis.
SAM: Over time people have wondered about many
things and asked many questions about the world around
them. "Why is the sky blue?" "Where does rain come
from?" "Where did I leave my wallet?" Well people
haven't just wondered and asked questions, they've tried
to answer their questions using something called a
hypothesis. That is to say people would form an educat-
ed guess as to what the cause of the problem they were
experiencing was. And then they would perform an
experiment to see if their guess was correct. For
instance, I have these silver objects. You'll notice that
they're tarnished. My question is: Why do bright silver
objects become a dull gray tarnish over time? I wonder
if it's anything like a nail becoming rusty? My hypothesis
is that perhaps the silver in this object reacts with oxygen
in the air much like iron in a nail reacts with the oxygen in
the air to form rust.

NARRATOR: So Sam noticed that silver tarnishes, and

he was curious to know why this happens. He then
formed a hypothesis that if silver is exposed to oxygen
then tarnish will develop. These are the first two steps in
the scientific method: 1) finding a question and 2) forming
a hypothesis. Let's look at some different questions and
see what hypotheses might be proposed to answer them.

Had you ever wondered why archeologists are always

digging up ancient ruins? Did these ruins actually sink by
11
some force of nature? Or might it be that they're covered
up?

And have you ever noticed that worms come out after a
rainstorm during the night? Why? We might guess that
it's because they were drowning, or another hypothesis
might be that they come out to mate.

SAM: The number of questions that can be selected to

launch the arduous and glorious journey down the road of
the scientific method is endless. And once a quest has
been selected such as "Where did this candlestick come
from?" and "Why did it tarnish?" there are many hypothe-
ses that can be offered to explore this phenomenon.

NARRATOR: Finally, formulating a new hypothesis can

impact our lives in a variety of ways. For instance, when
Albert Einstein formed the hypothesis that light was made
up of particles, scientists knew, that if this hypothesis
were true the consequences would change our under-
standing of how light behaves.

STAGE TWO - The Experimental Stage

After completing the first stage in the scientific method,
finding a question and then formulating your hypothesis
or prediction, it is time to enter the experimental stage of
the scientific method. While experiments can look very
different, the following parts are essential elements of
any experiment.

#1 Gather materials - This procedure can be as simple

as finding a piece of paper and pencil or finding equip-
ment as complex as a high-speed computer with vast
amount of memory.

#2 Know how to use a piece of equipment - Sometimes

in doing your experiment you will have to learn how you

12
use a tool, such as a graduated cylinder or stopwatch.
Other times you will already know how to use your tools.

#3 Observe and record data - Obviously, a record of the

experiment must be kept whether it's done with a pencil
and paper or video camera. Remember the importance
of the scientific method is that experiments can be done
again by other scientists, it must be repeatable.

#4 Identify a single test variable and control other

variables so only one condition is being tested - This
procedure is at the heart of every experiment. For exam-
ple, the text variable here is the distance of a light meter
from the light source. As we can see, light intensity
increases as we approach the light.

#5 Perform measurements - Many experiments will

require taking measurements. This may involve:
• timing with a stop watch
• measuring distances with a yard/meter stick
• reading temperatures on a thermometer

#6 Use mathematics - When carrying out some experi-

ments it is necessary to use mathematics. For example,
if records were kept for a week, division would be needed
to find the daily average of the number of birds found in a
half acre of wetlands.

Generally, in every experiment using the scientific method

you find some combination of the above six procedures.
Now let's look at two experiments and see how the pre-
ceding six components of the experiment play a role in
each experiment.

Experiment One
LOUISA: I have noticed at night ants do not seem to be
active in the out-of-doors, while in the daytime I have
13
seen them traveling over the ground. Scientists often
have curiosities about the behavior of a certain animal
species. My question is: How does the level of ant activ-
ity outside of an ant hole change from sunrise to sunset?
I propose this hypothesis: If the temperature of the air is
the warmest, then the greatest number of ants will be
observed at that time of day. What I have here is an
anthill between two slabs of concrete. What we can do is
count the number of ants that come out of the hole for a
period of one minute at the beginning of each hour start-
ing at eight in the morning and then stopping at eight in
the evening. Also, the temperature will be taken each
time the ants are counted.

Experiment Two
ZACK: When I water this yard I hope the water will sink
into the soil not just run off. What is the best kind of mate-
rial for absorbing water? My hypothesis is that dark
organic soil will absorb water the best.

NARRATOR: Let's do an experiment to determine which

kind of soil is best for absorbing water. Here are three dif-
ferent kinds of soil: packaged organic rich soil, packaged
fine sand, and packaged coarse gravel. They each have
a different kind of texture: they may feel smooth, or
coarse, or even spongy to the touch. Take these coffee
filters, and place one in each funnel. Then place 200ml of
material from each by volume, in the coffee filters.
Position the funnel in a graduated cylinder, then pour
100ml of water onto each material. After five minutes col-
lect the water that has not been absorbed.

Compare and Contrast Experiment No. #1 with

Experiment No. #2
Let's examine and compare the previous two experiments
and see how the different parts of the experimental stage
were used.
14
Gathering materials: In experiment one the materials
needed were: an ant hole, ants, paper, pencil, a clock,
and a thermometer. In experiment two we needed: three
different types of material, coffee filters, funnels, graduat-
ed cylinder, a tool to measure volume, a clock, and a pen
and paper to record the results.

Learning how to use a piece of equipment: Neither

experiment uses complex equipment, only simple meas-
uring instruments.

Observe and record data: In experiment one the ants

emerging from the hole were simply counted and the tem-
perature measured, then the results written down on a
piece of paper. In Experiment two the results from the
measurement of the water's volume, which had not been
absorbed by the different soils, were recorded.

Identify a single test variable and control the other

variables: The test variable in experiment number one is
the air temperature. In experiment number two, the kind
of soil is the test variable.

Perform measurements: The only measurement in the

first experiment was to use a clock and thermometer to
determine the top of each hour. In the second experiment
we needed to measure the volume three times, first the
volume of material, secondly the volume of the water
poured onto the soil samples, and finally the volume of
the water not absorbed.

Use mathematics: the first experiment employed count-

ing and timing while in the second one we chose to com-
pare volumes of water absorbed by each type of material
expressed as an equation:
The initial volume of water poured: 100ml
Minus the Volume of water collected in the cylinder: 88ml
Equals the volume of water absorbed: 12ml
15
We've seen that while each experiment is unique, both
experiments shared a common set of elements.

STAGE THREE - Post-Experimental Stage

In performing the scientific method, once the experiment
is completed, it is time for the post experimental steps of
analyzing the results of the experiment and drawing con-
clusions.

In the experiment to determine which kind of soil, sandy,

organic, or gravelly- is best for absorbing water, it was
found that organic soil most readily passed water through
it. At the beginning of the experiment the hypothesis was
that the organic soil would be the best absorber of water.
The question now was why did the organic soil pass the
water most readily? The answer was found when we
learned that the organic soil contained large amounts of
mica, a mineral that was put in the soil for the purpose of
draining water.

Louisa found out that in the spring when she conducted

the experiment, her hypothesis was not true. Let's put
them into a graph.

In the first graph we can see ant activity plotted against

time. We see that the ant activity remained about the
same until the sun started going down and then activity
increased.

In graph two, temperature is added and we can now see

that temperature is not affecting ant activity as much as
time of day.

In these final two steps of the scientific method we tried to

explain and understand why the hypotheses were not
confirmed. In the soil experiment we had to learn about
soil content in order to understand and explain our
16
results. In the ant experiment, we found that during the
Spring, time of day was the determining factor as in indi-
cator of ant activity, not temperature. Explaining or find-
ing the cause of the experimental results is the most
important part of the scientific method.

An application of the scientific method

Now that we have seen the six parts of the experimental
stage of the scientific method, let's follow Kyra, as she
conducts an experiment.

KYRA: Let's suppose I walk around this kitchen and see

what I can discover by just touching different objects.

Some objects feel warmer than others do, and then there
are ones that actually feel cold to the touch. The colder
ones are metal. It seems the warmer ones are cloth and
plastic. Stone and glass seem neither warm nor cold.
These observations could lead to the question: Why do
some of these objects feel warmer than others? I then
could make a hypothesis predicting that if you were to
place an ice cube on the surface of each material the item
that felt the warmest would melt the ice the fastest.

NARRATOR: In order to test this hypothesis Kyra needs

to get an object that is made of each of the following
materials; aluminum, wood, and styrofoam.

KYRA: Warmest, middle, and coldest.

NARRATOR: All of the objects tested should have a flat

surface and the same amount of mass. She also needs
ice cubes of the same size. In the experiment, place an
ice cube on each surface and then observe which one
melts the fastest. Remember the prediction? Since the
Styrofoam feels the warmest the ice cube sitting on it
should melt the fastest. But to Kyra's surprise the result
17
of the experiment is just the opposite of what was expect-
ed. The ice cube on the aluminum melted the fastest, and
the ice that lasted the longest was on styrofoam, which
had felt the warmest. So let us analyze the results of this
experiment. Maybe when a material feels cold to our
hand it is actually losing heat to it. When the experiment
was started she did not consider that the materials tested
were the same temperatures as the room and the tem-
perature of her hand was much warmer than the materi-
als or the room. The styrofoam felt warmer than the other
materials because there is very little matter in it, mostly
very small air pockets, and when she touched it, her hand
did not lose any heat to it. But when her hand touched the
more compact and solid aluminum, heat left her hand and
went into the metal. Her hand actually was cooled
because of this. Because the materials tested had the
same temperature of the room, what she experienced
were different amounts of energy loss.

The scientific method is important because it provides a

procedure to test anyone's experimental results. People
no longer have to rely on someone's authority, since they
can perform the same experiment and observe if they get
the same results and draw the same conclusion. We
have also seen that the scientific method forces the
experimenter to explain and ask why he or she obtained
their results. In this way science continually advances by
the asking of new questions.

VIDEO QUIZ
True or False
1) The five steps in the scientific method are usually: ask
a question, form a hypothesis, design and conduct an
experiment, analyze the results of the experiment, and
draw a conclusion.

18
2) Observing and recording data are part of the experi-
mental stage.

3) Many experiments will require taking measurements.

4) Scientists' answers to the world come in part from what

they observe.

5) If more than one variable changes in an experiment the

outcome will remain the same.

19
1 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
Pre-Test
Directions: Read each of the following and circle the best answer.
1. The first record of the scientific method being 6. When analyzing what has been observed, such
used was approximately as data collected in an experiment, leads to
a. 600 years ago. a. drawing the conclusion.
b. 3,000 years ago. b. coming up with a question.
c. 50 years ago. c. a scientific inquiry.
d. 1,200 years ago. d. a hypothesis.

2. To find out if a person's experiment was accu- 7. Before the hypothesis can be stated a
rate and true, you can a. theory is proposed.
a. repeat just the pre-experimental stage. b. galactic law is constructed by a group of pro-
b. choose to agree with the hypothesis. fessors.
c. repeat all five steps in the scientific method. c. conclusion is agreed upon.
d. draw your own conclusion. d. problem needs to be stated in the form of a
question.
3. Collecting data is part of
a. coming to a conclusion. 8. If the experiment shows the original hypothesis
b. doing the experiment. to be false, the scientist
c. gathering material. a. should doubt the accuracy of the equipment.
d. stating the problem. b. will not be able to solve the problem.
c. needs to repeat the experiement.
4. During the experimental stage of the scientific d. can state a new hypothesis.
method.
a. a hypothesis is formed. 9. The hypothesis is
b. measurements are often made. a. formed after the conclusion.
c. most scientists draw their conclusion. b. a prediction.
d. a scientific law is written up. c. stated when observations are being record-
ed.
5. Another word for hypothesis is d. the result of many theories being tried out.
a. research.
b. fact. 10. During the experiment a person
c. prediction. a. makes a summary.
d. summary. b. reads all they can about the subject.
c. tries to figure out what might go wrong.
d. keeps a record of what is happening.

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
2 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
Post-Test

Directions: Read each of the following and circle the best answer.
1. While following the steps of the scientific method,
when are measurements taken?
a. Just before the hypothesis is made.
b. During the experimental stage.
c. Right after a scientific law is composed.
d. Half way through developing a theory.
2. The scientific method is
a. found and explained on 3,000-year-old
Egyptian temple walls.
b. used by a small, select group in only the
largest universities.
c. made up of five steps.
d. not used by scientists who have the best
laboratories.
3. Part of the experimental stage in the program
occurred when the experimenter
a. observed ice melting on different materials.
b. said her hypothesis was wrong because the
data did not fit her prediction.
c. wondered what kind of material will melt ice.
d. thought ice would melt on a piece of glass
first.
6. A conclusion in the scientific method is based
on what
a. a committee thought would be a reasonable
answer.
b. was observed in the experiment.
c. theories in the past had been proposed.
d. a person expected would happen.
7. A new hypothesis may be made when
a. too many hours are being spent gathering
equipment.
b. an experiment demonstrates the original
hypothesis to be false.
c. there is not enough time to do the experi
ment
d. the equipment breaks down and does not
work.
8. Scientists believe scientific knowledge should
be based on
a. long held beliefs.
b. many years of experience.
c. experiments that record accurate data.
d. a vote by an educated group of people.

4. The hypothesis is 9. One of the benefits of the scientific method is

a. a list of materials needed in the experiment. that it can be used for
b. always right. a. checking the results of a person's experi-
c. the last part of the experiment. ment.
d. an educated guess. b. predicting the chances of rain in the future.
c. learning about future stock prices.
5. The scientific method d. finding the best places to go fishing.
a. should only be used for the most complex
problems. 10. Most hypothesis are usually
b. is not very useful today. a. neither right nor wrong.
c. is seldom used by people doing research. b. right all the time.
d. could be used by almost anyone. c. right half the time.
d. wrong.

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
3 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
Video Quiz

Directions: Answer the following either true or false.

1) The five steps in the scientific method are: ask a question, form a hypothesis, design and conduct an
experiment, analyze the results of the experiment, and draw a conclusion.

2) Observing and recording data are part of the experimental stage.

3) Many experiments will require taking measurements.

4) Scientists' answers to the world come in part from what they observe.

5) If more than one variable changes in an experiment the outcome will remain the same.

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
4 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?

Fill in the Flow Chart

Directions: A flow chart illustrates the order of a procedure. Sometimes the scientific method
terminology and order of procedures can be confusing. This flow chart will help you remember
the steps in the scientific method. Fill in the blank box with the appropriate word or term listed
below. Remember this flow chart starts at the top and flows down.

using mathematics
gathering materials
drawing a conclusion
asking a question
forming a hypothesis
observing and recording data
performing measurements
designing and conducting an experiment
identifying a single test variable and controlling other variables
analyzing the results of the experiment
knowing how to use a piece of equipment

Any scientific investigation begins with _______________________

Then comes _______________________

Followed by the _______________________ which usually

has six steps:

1 ___________________________________________

2 ___________________________________________

3 ___________________________________________

4 ___________________________________________

5 ___________________________________________

6 ___________________________________________

And finally ________________________________________________

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
5 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?

Two Ears Versus Only One Ear

This activity is fun and serves to engage the whole classroom in one big activity, which reinforces experimentation with a vari-
able.

Materials Needed - Leader, coin, volunteers, stool or chair, tennis ball, and wastebasket.

Observation: When there is a lot of activity around horses, you will often notice their ears move back and forth a great deal.
The two ears of cats and dogs do the same thing when they are trying to find from where a sound is coming.

Problem: Compared to only one ear, how do two ears help humans?

Hypothesis: Below, make an educated guess as to what two ears can do that one ear cannot.

Experiment: When the leader is ready to start this experiment you should put your head down, and then close your eyes. A
quarter will be tossed into the room. When the coin lands, continue to keep your eyes closed, but point to where you think it
landed. Wait for the leader to tell you to raise your head and open your eyes, but continue to point to where you think the coin
landed. Also, look around to see where the other students are pointing.

1) How close to where you were pointing was the coin? ___________ feet/meters

2) Did most of the students seem to point close to where this coin landed?

3) So far, what do you think you have learned about finding where a sound is coming from?

4) We are going to change this experiment by covering one ear with the palm of your hand. This is being done so only one
ear will hear the coin hit the floor. Heads down and eyes closed when the leader is ready. Point once again to where you think
the coin landed. How close did you come this time? ___________ feet/meters

5) How well did the group do this time using only one ear?

This third step in our experiment will need a student volunteer. The student should sit on a stool that has been placed in front
of class. Once seated the student should then close both eyes. The teacher will then snap his or her fingers to one side of
the volunteer's head, and the student will then point to where they believe the sound came from. After pointing to the spot, the
leader will snap the fingers again but in a different place. After this is done a few times you should be getting the idea. Just
for the fun of it, the leader should snap his or her fingers exactly above, behind, and in front of the person's head, as well as
to one or the other side of the head.

1) Does something different happen when the sound comes from a place directly behind the head or directly in front of the per-
son?

2) Why did this happen?

3) Next, the student should cover one ear and see if he or she can locate the source of the snaps. Explain what happened:

4) What can you say about your hypothesis?

5) What did you learn about two ears compared to one ear when it comes to finding where a sound is produced?

In the last part of the experiment, a volunteer should try to toss a tennis ball into a wastebasket with his/her eyes closed. What
the leader needs to do is ask the students to make a low-pitched hum while the basket is being moved to some spot in the
room. The humming is needed so the volunteer cannot hear where the teacher is moving. The humming should stop when the
teacher stops. Then the bottom of the basket should make a little noise when it is put down and touches the floor. This is the
signal for the person who has his or her eyes closed to attempt to toss the ball into the basket. Some people will really sur-
prise you.

Cover one ear and repeat the experiment.

6) What were the results?

Did you know an outfielder in baseball gets a lot of help by the sound produced when the ball is hit? The player's two ears
get clues as to where the ball is going by the sound of the bat hitting the ball. Some owls find their food with their two ears.
The same is true for bats.
© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
6 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
Ball Bounce

Observations: Almost any material, when in the shape of a sphere, will bounce when dropped onto a firm surface. Some
materials seem to bounce higher than others do. Many different questions can be asked about the height of the bounce of dif-
ferent materials. Some questions that might be asked: How high will a wooden sphere bounce? Will a steel ball bounce?
Would it make any difference in the height a ball would bounce if one ball was solid and another was hollow?

Today let us look at another question.

Question: How high will a rubber-ball bounce when dropped from various heights?

Hypothesis: Make a prediction as to what you think will happen to the height of a bounce if a rubber-ball is dropped from dif-
ferent heights. In a way you need to make an educated guess as to how high each bounce will be.

Dropped from 10 inches or 50 cm, I predict the bounce will = ________.

Dropped from 20 inches or 100 cm, the bounce will = ________.

The materials needed - at least two people, a yard (meter) stick, a rubber-ball, and a hard surface. If a rubber-ball cannot be
found try a golf ball or some other object that has the shape of a sphere.

Data Recording: The first step in this experiment is that one person should drop the ball, and another person should observe
how high the ball bounces. Record your observations in the chart below. To be consistent always place the bottom of the ball
at the level from which it is going to be dropped from. Then observe the height at which the bottom of the ball bounces. Be
sure to drop the ball from the same place three times, and record the height of the bounce each time. Then, later on, you can
add up each of these sets of numbers and divide by three to get the average height of the bounce. False data could show up
if the ball was dropped only once from each level. This is because a person could make errors in the way the ball is released
or the way the person observed the height. A set of three drops should reduce the effect of errors.

Dropped from: Height of Bounces in inches (do 3 times) Average Height of Bounces
5 inches (10 cm) 1- 2- 3-
10 inches (25 cm) 1- 2- 3-
15 inches (38 cm) 1- 2- 3-
20 inches (50cm) 1- 2- 3-
25 inches (63 cm) 1- 2- 3-
30 inches (75 cm) 1- 2- 3-
35 inches (88 cm) 1- 2- 3-
40 inches (100cm) 1- 2- 3-
45 inches (113 cm) 1- 2- 3-
50 inches (125 cm) 1- 2- 3-

If you have a piece of graph paper you should graph the average bounce height for the different drops.

A good experiment should have only one variable: only one part of the experiment is changed.

1) What part of this experiment was the variable?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) Conclusion: (How did your hypothesis compare to the pattern of different bounces?)

If you used a rubber-ball to do this experiment, do you realize a mathematical equation could be used to represent the graph
that resulted from the experimental data? It would be very close to x = 3/4y, where x = the height of the bounce and y = the
distance the ball fell. In other words, the bounce would be about 75% of the distance the ball fell. This would be true for each
level the ball was dropped from in your experiment.

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
7 Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
A Message Traveling Along Nerves

Observation: It is surprising how quick we are when it comes to jumping out of the way of something
coming toward us. Or how fast we are when we need to put on the breaks of bicycle we are riding. We
seem to be very quick when it comes to grabbing a ball as it goes by us. The time it takes for a mes-
sage to enter your eyes and reach the tip of your fingers must be very fast. Let us try to figure out a
way to find the amount of time it takes information to move along our nerves.

Problem: How much time does it take information to travel from your eye through the brain, and then
to your hand?

Hypothesis: I believe it will take ________ seconds for information to travel from my eye to my finger-
tips.

Experiment: Materials - a ruler at least 12 inches or 30 centimeters long, and a partner. If you have
trouble catching the ruler, use a two-foot ruler, yardstick, or round wooden dowel.

A partner will hold a ruler at one end so it hangs vertically, and the "bottom" end is dangling between
your index finger and thumb. Your finger and thumb should be at zero inches/centimeters, and about a
half an inch or one centimeter away from the ruler on each side. This space on each side will be
enough for the ruler to fall in. When your partner thinks you are ready, he or she will drop the ruler
without warning. As the ruler falls, it is up to you to stop it as quickly as you can by pinching your finger
and thumb together. Record in the chart below the distance at the point at which you stopped the ruler.

Be sure each person does this at least three times, and keeps a record of what happened. If it is too
hard to stop the ruler with the finger and thumb, use both hands. Just clasp your palms together when
the ruler is dropped.

Trial Drops Distance Ruler Fell

1 _______________
2 _______________
3 _______________

Total (add all 3) _____________ Average Distance = ____________

To get an average: After adding up the three numbers, divide the total
by three to get the average distance.

(Continued)

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
7a Name ____________________

HOW SCIENTISTS WORK SERIES

What Is The Scientific Method?
Table: Time it takes an object to fall a specific distance.

Distance in inches Distance in centimenters Time in seconds

0.8 2 0.06
1.6 4 0.09
2.4 6 0.11
3.2 8 0.12
4 10 0.14
4.8 12 0.15
5.6 14 0.17
6.4 16 0.18
7.2 18 0.19
8 20 0.20
8.8 22 0.21
9.6 24 0.22
10.4 26 0.23
11.2 28 0.24
12 30 0.25
12.8 32 0.26

Use the above table of numbers to convert the average distance into a unit of time.

1) The time for a "message" to travel from your eye through the brain to your hand is equal to ________
seconds.
2) To what would this number be close?
(a) one-tenth of second. (b) one-fifth of a second. (c) one-third of second. (d) one-and one-fourth seconds.

3) Conclusion: Does this message take more than a second , or less than a second to travel about one
meter, the distance from your eye to the tip of your hand?

4) Was your hypothesis, your prediction, high, accurate, or low?

5) The time for a "message" to travel from your eye through the brain to your hand is equal to ________
seconds.

Because the distance from your eye to the tip of your hand is about one yard/meter you can find how fast
the message is traveling. Do this by dividing one yard/meter by the time for you to catch the ruler in sec-
onds.

6) One yard/meter divided by _______ seconds = _________ yards/meters per second

To find out how fast the message travels in an hour multiply this number by 60 seconds and then by 60
minutes.
7) ? /meters per second x 60 seconds x 60 minutes = ________ yards/meters per hour.

8) How might a person who has not gotten enough sleep react if he or she had to stop a falling ruler?

© 2003 Centre Communications Published and Distributed by United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.