People always debate about who is better Durant vs. Lebron and Rihanna vs Beyonce. While these debates are interesting, they do NOT fall under the category of scientific questions to investigate.

Journal Entry: In a short paragraph (@ least 3 sentences) explain why each of the

following question are NOT good investigable questions.

Who is a better basketball player,Durant or Lebron?

Who is a better performer,Beyonce or Rihanna?

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

WHAT IS ARE GOOD QUESTIONS TO FORM INVESTIGATIONS?

Is my Investigable Question C.M.D?• Comparing 2 things or shows specific Cause and Affect?• Measurable (Can you measure and collect enough data?)• Doable (Do I have the materials, time, and resources?)

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

A few suggested formats for C.M.D questions1) How does ____________ affect ____________? ex. How does blindfolding a person affect their ability to

walk in a straight line?

OR2) How is ____________ affected by ____________?

ex. How is a persons ability to walk in a straight line affected by them being blindfolded?

OR

3) What affect does __________ have on ________ ? ex. What affect does blindfolding a person have on their

ability to walk in a straight line?

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

(certain Cause) (certain Affect)

(certain Affect) (certain Cause)

(certain. Cause) (certain Affect)

Comparing or specific Cause & Affect:

Measureable:Doable:

Who is a better basketball player,Durant or Lebron?

Who is a better performer,Beyonce or Rihanna?

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

Comparing Dur. to Leb. OR Bey. Or Rih.

Can’t really measure “better.” OpinionXX Do not know what materials to use because there is

nothing to measure

Questions that ask who or what is better is NOT a good C.M.D questions to investigate because

_________________________________________you can NOT measure “better”. That’s an opinion!

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

In 6th grade you planted seeds and let them grow.While they were growing, some of you may have wondered:

What causes plants to grow taller?This is a great question, but it does NOT follow our C.M.D checklist

for the types of questions we will investigate. Put an “X” next to the part of the checklist that the above question

does NOT follow. Explain why.(2 minutes to discuss with tablemates and complete on guided notes)

Comparing or specific Cause & Affect:

Measureable:Doable:

X, question does NOT state a specific “cause” that you are investigating

You can measure how tall the plant growsYou can get access to seeds, soil, a ruler, and enough time for the plant to grow

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.

Lets, change the question “What causes plants to grow taller?” into a C.M.D question.1) Discuss with your tablemates and then on the chart paper, list some

things that can possibly cause plants to grow: ________________________________________________2) Pick one of the possible causes to investigate: ______________3) Write your C.M.D question and use the checklist to explain why it is

now a C.M.D question that you can investigate.

C.M.D Checklist:Comparing or specific Cause & Affect:

Measureable:Doable:

1) Sunlight 2) Water 3) Fertilizer1) Sunlight:

“What effect does sunlight have on plant growth?”

Cause: Sunlight Effect: How tall the plant grows

Measure the plants heightYou can get access to seeds, soil, a ruler, and enough time for the plant to grow

4) Soil

Questions that don’t state a SPECIFIC “cause” and a SPECIFIC “effect” are NOT good C.M.D questions to investigate because

_________________________________________they do not state exactly what you are investigating!

L.T: I can form C.M.D investigable questions.