How Scientists study the

World

PROBLEM

• Making observations

• Turning an observation into a testable question

• Literature searches

• Turning a question into a hypothesis

• Coming up with alternatives

• Making predictions

• Defining the scope

Step 1: Making ObservationsChoose a zoo webcam to monitor animal behavior on your Ipad. Make observations along with your partner. Make a list these observations. (You are not limited to these zoos or animals)

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/elephant.cfm

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/elephant-cam

http://www.houstonzoo.org/meet-the-animals/flamingo-cam/

http://www.zoo.org/page.aspx?pid=2584

http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam#ff_s=oRNzi

Step 2: Turning an observation into a testable question.

Discussion – small group (2), then share big group:

What did you like?

What was really cool?

What were you curious about?

What makes a good observation?

Now create as many questions as you can about your observations.

Step 3: The Literature Search

Let’s start with our own media center. Using your IPad, search Darnell-Cookman, then Students tab, then Library Page tab.

Some databases must be accessed on the school server due to subscriptions paid by our district. The Gale Services tabs are useful, but must be accessed from school. JSTOR only requires you to make an account.

Click on the Website Evaluation tab. What are the four major areas of concern?

The Literature Search continued – Google Scholar

Google Scholar works well. Type in Google Scholar in the search bar, then click on “About Google Scholar”. Google Scholar can provide you with a broad search for scholarly literature.

Go to Google Scholar now and search for information concerning your questions from your observations. For example: I first watched the elephant cam and had questions concerning their soil requirements. I typed in elephant soil requirements. One of the articles I found was about arthropod populations in the soil under elephants. We will be using Isopods in our lab this week. What a coincidence!

Take a few minutes with your partner to look for relevant journal articles concerning your questions. Remember to narrow your searches by being specific. I didn’t just search “elephants”.

Step 4: Turning a question into a hypothesis.

First decide if your question is one that can be answered with research or experimentation. Is it a testable question?

Try inserting your question into one of these templates:

A. Does changing _____affect _____?

B. If I change______, will it affect _______?

C. How does changing ______affect ______?

Step 5: Coming up with AlternatesThere is this great pizza place downtown. Their claim to fame is the temperature that they cook their pizzas. If I wanted to test this.

My null hypothesis could look like: There is no difference in pizza taste in ovens at 900 degrees compared to ovens at 400 degrees.

Now we can make a few alternate hypotheses.

Coming up with Alternates continued.

NULL: There is no difference in pizza taste in ovens at 900 degrees compared to ovens at 400 degrees.

Pizzas cooked in ovens at 900 degrees taste better than pizzas cooked at 400 degrees.

Pizza crusts cooked at higher temperatures taste better than pizza crusts cooked at lower temperatures.

There is a difference in pizza taste in ovens at 900 degrees compared to ovens at 400 degrees. (Just an opposite restatement of the null)

Coming up with Alternatescontinued.

Now that you and your partner have constructed a question and a hypothesis, take that hypothesis and

1. Construct your null hypothesis.

2. Construct 2-3 alternate hypotheses.

3. Make a slide in Pages to present your work.

Step 6: Making Predictions

How will your group demonstrate that your hypothesis is true?

This is where you design your experiment that will answer the question you have proposed and test the hypothesis you have formed.

Defining the Scope of this Problem:

We have to keep this experiment

within the limits of our resources.What are the objectives of this experiment?

What are the goals of this experiment?

How can we break this project into doable sections?

How are we going to delegate responsibility within the group?

Are resources available? Is this doable in this lab?

Do we need anything from an outside source?

Develop a schedule that will fit into your allowed timeframe.

PROCEDURE

• Materials

• Methods/Protocols

• Choosing a statistical test

MATERIALS

A material list should be comprehensive of the materials you will need.

One possible strategy to making this list, is to make your initial list, but improve the list as you write your experimental design.

If your list is extensive and certain items belong to certain steps of the experiment, smaller relevant material lists can be made.

MATERIALS, continued.Writing a Good List:

Scenario: It is time for an osmosis lab and I am going to need potatoes that are in one inch cubes in my experimental design. I will need at least 6 cubes in each of 6 solutions and perform at least five trials. So I will need 180 cubes of potatoes!

Oh, by the way, half the potatoes are white potatoes and half are sweet potatoes.

Get your phones out. We are going to poll for an answer of which is the best materials list. Yes, your phone =)

METHODS/PROTOCOLS:Experimental Design

Things to remember when designing your experiment:

1. You must have a control. A control does not receive an experimental treatment.

2. You must replicate your experiment and results over an appropriate number of trials. There are resource limitations such as products, space, and time.

3. Your directions must be repeatable.

So you think you can write repeatable

procedures?Your 4 person group will be issued 2 matching sets of 13 interlocking blocks and a secret office. Your group will then sub-divide into 2 smaller groups of 2 with one set of blocks each.

One person in the sub-group will assemble a structure with the blocks. The other person in the sub-group will write clear directions of how to put the blocks together to recreate the structure.

Keep your design a secret. Have the other 2 people (from your original 4) group with a matching set of your blocks recreate the structure with only your directions to use.

How do they “stack up” to following your directions?

CHOOSING A STATISTICAL TEST

This activity will help you understand how to choose a statistical test by starting at the beginning of

this entire analysis process.

Your group will be given a bag of regular M&Ms and a bag of Skittles.

Your job is to determine how many of each color should be in each bag and if there is a difference, was it due to chance or something else.

CHOOSING A STATISTICAL TEST

Step 1: Make observations of the colors.

Step 2: Count each color and collect that information in a table. Skittles has not published a distribution, but M&Ms has. Find out that distribution should be on the internet.

Step 2.5 Form your null and alternate hypotheses for each.

Step 3: What type of data have we collected?

Step 4: What do we need in our tool kit?

Step 5: What type of test do we use with this type of data?

CHOOSING A STATISTICAL TEST

Statistics information will be presented to you independently from this presentation during three class periods.

As you review on your own, please remember to refer to the powerpoint “Introduction to Statistics for AP Biology” anytime during the duration of this course.

Also consult the “Flowchart for Statistical Thought”

INTERPRETATION

• Drawing conclusions about hypotheses from

statistical analysis

• Putting results in the context of current knowledge

• Communication Format

• Communication Techniques

Drawing conclusions about hypotheses from statistical analysis:

Back to the Candy…

What were our tools, again?

How did you acquire those tools? M&Ms? Skittles?

What test are you going to use?

Calculate your value by hand, using only the formula and a 4-function calculator. (AP Exam ready)

What do you do with this value now?

Are the values statistically different for M&Ms? Skittles?

State your decisions concerning your null hypothesis.

Putting results in the context of current knowledge

Now that you have an answer to your research, you need to relate it to what is already known.

Do you have new information or do your findings support what was already known?

Write a summary/discussion (you will do this for your mini-posters) that discusses your findings and what this means. Make a connection between what you knew before and what you know now.

You will be expected to communicate your experiments with your peers in the form of a

mini-poster and verbal presentation.

Communication Techniques

during the Gallery WalkYour mini-poster should be attractive and inviting. Good contrast and color choices are important. Pictures of the experiment should be included.

Make sure the data clearly indicates your result

Go through each step, but don’t read it.

Keep it short: 5-6 minutes

Allow for questions from your peers.