Learning Targets“I Can…”

-State the six steps of the scientific method, in order.

-Distinguish between a hypothesis and an opinion.

-Define the word “hypothesis.”

-Design a controlled experiment where only a single variable is tested.

-Distinguish between an independent and dependent variable.

-Understand that review of scientific findings should be reviewed by other scientists before they are published and that sharing these findings help to advance science.

What is the scientific method?

A. Science experiments are more than just “cookbook recipes.”

B. The scientific method is a problem solving process and can be applied to all areas of life.

Steps of the Scientific Method

1. Define the problem: What was our problem/question for our sponge animal experiment?

Steps of the Scientific Method

2. Do research and find background information on that problem

Steps of the Scientific Method

3. Make a hypothesis about the problema. Is written before the experimentb. Usually includes tentative words like “may”c. Contains relationships that indicate the two variables to be testedd. Contains predictions on the outcome of two variables

Steps of the Scientific Method

Two types of variables:1. Independent

Controlled by the experimenter

2. DependentThe variable that results from the

independent; it is the variable the experimenter is measuring

Steps of the Scientific Method

What are the variables of the followinghypotheses?

1. Chocolate may cause pimples.

2. Salt in soil may slow down plant growth.

3. A high exposure to mercury causes cancer.

Steps of the Scientific Method

4. Conduct the experiment5. Display the results6. Make a conclusion; this is where the

hypothesis is accepted or rejected

Steps of the Scientific Method

Don’t forget to repeat the experiment; continued acceptance makes a hypothesis a theory!