The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

What is the scientific method?

• A method that scientists use to answer questions about the world.

• There are steps that they take in the scientific method.

Observation

The first step of the scientific process involves making observations.

For example:

What do you see, hear, taste, smell, feel? What did you notice about the rocks? Can you tell me about the block tower that you made? What do you notice about the plants?

Problem/Question

Form questions from your problem. Think about what you want to find out. Your questions have to be measurable.

For example: I wonder what will happen if the rocks get wet? I wonder why the block tower collapsed? I wonder why that plant is droopy?

Hypothesis

Step 3 of the scientific process involves developing a hypothesis or making a prediction to answer the question.

Experiment

Plan a procedure. Write down the steps you will use to test your hypothesis. Complete several trials to test your hypothesis.

Results

Keep a record- Write down what happened and what you did in your experiment.

Conclusion

Make a decision on your hypothesis based on the data you collected.

Was your hypothesis correct?

Write it down.

Multiple Choice

What is the scientific method?

• A method scientists use to answer questions

• A type of experiment for volcanoes

• you observe.

Multiple Choice

How do you make observations?

• you use your senses

• you only taste something

• you eat something

Multiple Choice

What is a hypothesis?

• A problem

• An educated guess about the solution to a problem

Multiple Choice

You need to plan out your experiment before doing it.

• false

• true

Multiple Choice

What can you do if your hypothesis is incorrect?

• try again after changing something

• give up

• Do the experiment the same way again.

Multiple Select

Which are first three steps in the scientific method?

• Observations

• question/problem

• Gather paper

• make your hypothesis

• Eat a cake