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CATALYST1. What are the three components

that go into every hypothesis?HINT: If […], then […] because […].

2. What are three parts of the experiment step in the scientific method?

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TASKS1. You will turn-in a separate sheet of paper

with your answers to the questions/excercises that are embedded in this Powerpoint

2. Take Cornell notes on Writing a Lab Report and Designing an Experiment

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OBJECTIVEBy the end of today, you will be able to design

an experiment and submit a lab report.

Today you will plan out your experiment and write up

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STEP 1: ASK AQUESTION = research question

Choose a topic that interests you! KYSS – Keep Your Science Simple

Pick a question that is clearly stated, straight forward, and narrow

Bad example: How does heat affect different liquids?

Bad example: Which do people like better, rap or rock?

Good example: Which material is the best insulator, air, cotton, or water?

Good example: What concentration of alcohol is needed to kill 50% of germs on a surface?

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EXERCISE: ADJUST THE QUESTIONAdjust these questions so that they are more appropriate for a scientific experiment:

1. How does heat affect different liquids?

2. Which do people like better, rap or rock music?

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Research your topic to learn as much about it as you can

Describe any background information and/or formulas that are relevant to the experiment

You should have at least 3 sources of written information on your topic

NOT Sources:

Wikipedia

STEP 2: BACKGROUND

These are the sources

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These are the sources on Wikipedia

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AT LEAST 3 SOURCESPURPOSE Validate what you’re stating Enhance the scientific content that applies to

your experiment (such as explaining key terms/concepts)

Interesting tid-bits or facts that apply to your experiment

Cannot be used for common knowledge

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DOCUMENTATION! Maintain a notes-page for your background

research Notes should be identified by the SOURCE

(website, author, date retrieved) Incorporate your notes as in-text citations

into your narrative Create a bibliography (Works Cited,

References List)

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PLEASE REFER TO YOUR GLUE-IN FOR IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND REFERENCE LIST

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STEP 3: PLAN EFFECTIVELY Plan out the purpose of your experiment and

visualize how you will perform it Should be able to gather all materials and safely

perform the experiment Your hypothesis must answer your research

question

Variables Independent Variable should be easy to change Dependent Variable should be measured by a

quantity such as count, length, percentage, time, etc.

Control Variables should be easy to control

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GOOD EXAMPLE: PLAN EFFECTIVELY Which paper towel brand is the strongest,

Bounty, Brawny, or Viva?

If I test the strength of different paper towel brands by seeing how much weight they can hold, then Bounty will be able to hold the most weight because it is the most expensive.

IV: Paper towel brandDV: Amount of weight (in grams) heldCV: dryness of paper towels, number of sheets,

type of weights used, no wind

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EXERCISE: PLAN EFFECTIVELY Create an effective hypothesis, independent

variable, dependent variable, and control variables for the following question:

Does age affect human reaction time?

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STEP 4: PREPARE Gather all materials Write detailed, step-

by-step procedures that anyone can follow

DESIGN your data table(s): make sure that you’re ready for data collection: please refer to your glue-in “Making a Data Table”

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STEP 5: EXPERIMENT! Document all data and important observations Plan ahead - take photos!

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STEP 6: ANALYZE Create a graph/chart to

display your findings. T.A.L.K.S.

Title (dependent and independent variables)

Axes (x= independent variable & y= dependent variable)

Labels (unit of measurement in parentheses)

Key Scale

Analysis paragraph should include the following: Mention the significant data

points Discuss the trend(s)

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EXERCISE: answer the following questions

1. Why was a line graph used?

2. What is the dependent variable?

3. What is the independent variable?

4. What is the unit of measurement and which axis is it on?

5. Mention the significant data points.

6. Discuss the trend(s).

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STEP 6: ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE As soon as you’re done,

ask yourself: “What happened?”

Do your results agree with your hypothesis?

Create a graph/chart to display your findings.

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STEP 7: WRITE YOUR REPORT, CREATE YOUR DISPLAY, AND REHEARSE.

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BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN! You can test ANYTHING you want! As long as

you follow these guidelines for the experiment, you can’t go wrong!

Judges will always appreciate thinking outside the box [video]

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EXERCISE: SAMPLE EVALUATIONUsing your guidelines, evaluate the sample

science fair proposal provided to your table based on the following criteria:

4-Exceeds 3-Meets 2-Approaching 1-Fail

Section Ranking (1-4)

Research Question is interesting, simple (clear, straightforward, narrow), and can be done within a weekBackground-At least 3 written sources are availableExperiment can be visualized and materials can be obtainedHypothesis a measurable/identifiable prediction that answers the research question Independent Variable is easy to changeDependent Variable is quantified (count, length, percentage, time, etc.) Control Variables control all aspects of the experimentProcedures are detailed and allow others to repeat the experiment

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Turn-in your answers to the teacher. Make sure that your name, #, and date are on the paper!

Number your INB notes pages Write the next page number on the

appropriate right-side page of your INB