Science Investigations

Science Investigations

Open Ended

Give 3 things you learned from the video about lab safety.

​Lab Safety-Don't Forget to Get Saftey Form Signed!

This is key to taking part in any investigations we partake in during this school year. IF YOU BEHAVE IN AN UNSAFE MANNER, YOU FORFEIT THE PRIVALAGE TO TAKE PART IN ANY OTHER INVESTIGATIONS. YOU WILL BE GIVEN PAPER/PENCIL WORK TO COMPLETE.

1. Stay on task at all times. 9. Know location of safety equipment.

2. Do Not touch materials until told to do so. 10. No tasting/smelling of materials.

3. Only carry out instructor improved investigations.

4. No horse-playing is allowed; stay with your group in your assigned area.

5. Clean up after you've completed the investigation/at the end of class.

6. If glass breaks, inform the teacher. You are not to clean it up. If it was an accident, that's ok; these happen; if it's a result of misbehavior, there will be consequences.

7. Dispose of materials properly; not everything can be placed in the sink or trash.

8. . Wear proper safety equipment (goggles, apron if needed, hair pulled back; closed toed shoes, etc)

​Lab Safety Review

Let's Play Blooket to Review Lab Safety!

There will be a quiz tomorrow on this!

Steps to an Investigation

First, make observations; look at the world around you to see what you notice.

Qualitative Observations: those that use one or more of the 5 senses

Quantitative Observations: those that use numbers, measurements, or terms representing numbers. (some, few, several, couple, etc)

Multiple Choice

The sweet smell of a warm apple pie filled the kitchen.

• Qualitative Observation

• Quantitative Observation

• Neither

• Both

Multiple Choice

A 1969 Ford Mustang is a dream car of mine.

• Qualitative Observation

• Quantitative Observation

• Both

• Neither

Multiple Choice

Too many deer seem to be wondering around our neighborhood lately.

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

• Neither

• Both

Multiple Choice

Several teenagers were seen wearing dark, blue jackets and grey Nike tennis shoes at the park during the cool, Autumn day.

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

• Both

• Neither

Multiple Choice

It could rain this afternoon.

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

• Both

• Neither

Second, ask a question.

​What do you wonder about what you observe?

**This question will become the reasoning behind doing an investigation. What do you want to learn more about?

**The question can be answered simply by research or by trial and error testing.

**This is known as the problem/purpose of the investigation.

**Problem/Purpose = the question being answered by doing an investigation.

**Do dogwood trees grow best in nitrogen rich soil?**

Poll

The problem or purpose of an investigation is a(n)

• observation using numbers

• observation made using your senses

• question

• statement

Third, decide what you think the outcome of the investigation will be.

This is known as your hypothesis: an educated guess to the outcome of an investigation.

The correct way to write this is as either an "if, then" or " I think...because" statement.

If soil is rich in nitrogen, then dogwood trees will grow tall.

I think dogwood trees grow best in nitrogen rich soil, because nitrogen is a nutrient that helps plants grow and develop.

Hypothesis: Very similar to an inference.

Inference: an educated guess made by using past experiences or outcomes.

Being that its cloudy, damp, and cool, it could snow this afternoon.

I best make sure the dogs have plenty of food in their bowl since the last meeting I attended lasted a couple of days.

***These do not use if.. then or I think...because... ***

Multiple Choice

You need to cut the grass before it pours down rain. The tall grass could be too tough to cut if you don't.

• Inference

• Hypothesis

Multiple Choice

I think metal will melt quicker than iron because many items are made of metal that has been formed into different shapes.

• Inference

• Hypothesis

​Determining a Course of Action

Once you've developed your hypothesis, determine how you will prove or disprove it. Develop clear, concise, easily repeatable procedure steps.

This is where your variables come in. There are 3 types of variables in any investigation. (Independent/Manipulated; Dependent/Responding; & Controlled). The next slide will define these!

​Variables

1.Independent/Manipulated: this is what you are testing; its your choices; you are responsible for changing these.

2. Dependent/Responding: These are the results of the investigation; your data or measurements; this changes because you changed something.

3. Controlled: Anything that does not change in an investigation; stays the same throughout

**You should only test one thing or idea at a time!**

Let's watch a quick video to learn more about these!

Open Ended

Why was the sun considered the independent variable?

Open Ended

Why was the plant growth considered the dependent variable?

​Identifying Variables Example:

Doug was sitting on his back porch and noticed that several hummingbirds kept approaching his red carnations his mom planted in the flower bed. He remembered that most hummingbird feeders were colored red. This got him thinking; are hummingbirds naturally attracted to the color red? To test this, he bought 5 hummingbird feeders. He painted 4 of them; one-blue, one-orange, one-yellow, and one-clear. The 5th, he kept colored red. He placed 2 cups of cool (70 degree) tap water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of pure cane sugar dissolved in each feeder. He hung all 5 feeders on a 5-hook post in the middle of the yard. He left the feeders there for 1 week (7 days). On the morning of the 8th day, he removed the feeders and measured how much water was left in each. He decided that the one with the least amount of water left would be the feeder the hummingbirds were most attracted to.

Independent Variable = the color of the feeders (Doug changed this; it was what he was testing)

Dependent Variable = the amount of water left in each feeder (measurable; the data needed; it changed because Doug changed the color of the feeder)

Controlled = type of feeder; type of bird; placement of feeder; type of water; amount of water and sugar; temperature of the water; timetable of investigation (all of these never changed; important because Doug now understands the feeder with the least amount of water was due to its color and nothing else)

On the next slides, it will be your turn to practice!

Open Ended

Milton investigated to see if the color of a light bulb affected the growth of bean plants. He bought a pack of bean seeds and planted 3 seeds each in 5 different 5 cup sized containers. He placed 3/12 cups of rich topsoil in each container, and buried 3 bean seeds in each at a depth of 2 inches. He placed each container under a different colored light (blue, green, red, orange, and clear). He watered the plants once daily with 2 cups of distilled water. He kept the temperature of the room at 82 degrees F and the humidity level at 65%. After 3 months, he measured the plant growth of each.

Please identify the independent, dependent, and controlled variables.

Open Ended

Leila investigated to see her cats preferred Purina Cat Chow over Fancy Feast Cat Food. To test this, she fed her cats at 9:00 AM each morning, and 6:00 PM each night for 7 days.. In one 36 ounce silver container, she placed a 16 ounce can of Fancy Feast and in another container of the same, she placed 16 ounces of Purina Cat Chow. She placed both containers side by side. After a 2 hour period (at 11 AM and 8 PM) she measured how much of each of the cat food remained and wrote down her results.

Identify the independent, dependent, and manipulated variables from this investigation.

Open Ended

Betsy wondered if her German Sheppard preferred a certain type of water over others. To test this, she bought 3 gallons of distilled water, 3 gallons of carbonated water, used 3 gallons of tap water (from the city), and 3 gallons of tap water (pumped from a well). She'd make sure to keep the water at a cool 60 degrees since this was in the middle of the summer. For a week, she gave her German Sheppard the 3 gallons of distilled water; the 2nd week-the 3 gallons of carbonated water; the third week-the 3 gallons of city tap water; and the fourth week-the 3 gallons of well tap water. After each week (7 days), she measured how much of each type of water was left and recorded her results.

Identify the independent, dependent, and manipulated variables.

Poll

How do you feel about being able to identify variables?

• Great! I can do it no problem.

• Ok, its starting to make more sense, but I'd like more practice.

• It still makes no sense to me! Please help!

Handout/

Blooket Review Coming Up!

Then Assessment Time!!

Time to Organize Your Data!!

​ How to organize data:

1. Create a data chart. This is a table that shows the measurements received during your investigation. The independent variable goes in the first column and the dependent variable goes in the right column(s).

2. Graph Your results.

   a. Bar Graph: use this when you are comparing data (i.e--> how much food the cat consumed)

   b. Line Graph: use this when showing a change over time (i.e--> plant growth over a period of 6 months)

​ Let's view a correct data chart

​Color of Feeder	​Amount of Water Consumed in One Week
​Red	​1 3/4 cups
​Blue	​1/3 cup
​Orange	​1 1/2 cups
​Yellow	​1 cup
​Clear	​1 1/4 cups

​**The color of the feeder is your independent variable; thus it goes in the first column.

**Your dependent variable is the amount of water consumed, thus it goes in the right column.

**Now, let's watch a video on how to correctly graph your data.

Multiple Choice

The independent variable will be placed on the:

• X axis

• y axis

Multiple Choice

The dependent variable will be placed on the:

• X axis

• Y axis

Match

Match the Following

• Shows parts of a whole

• Shows a comparison of data

• Shows how something changes over time

Circle/Pie Graph

Bar Graph

Line Graph

• Circle/Pie Graph

• Bar Graph

• Line Graph

Rules to Graphing!!

1.Always title your graph.

2. Make sure you are using the correct type of graph.

3. Place variables on the correct axis (Remember DRY MIX: dependent/responding on Y axis; manipulated/independent on X axis

4. Use good increments on Y axis (what will you count up by)

5. Color code the graph neatly; use a key if necessary.

6. We will practice analyzing graphs weekly (getting info from graphs).

​Create a correct graph on the graph paper given using the following data table.

Number of fruit produced using different forms of water:

​Type of Water	​Number of Fruit Produced
​Distilled	​25 tomatoes
​Tap	​36 tomatoes
​Sugar	​18 tomatoes
​Salt	​29 tomatoes

​Create a correct graph using the following information.

Plant growth with fertilizer vs. no fertilizer (6 month time period; growth per month)

​Month	​Plant W/ Fertilizer Growth (cm)	​Plant W/O Fertilizer (cm)
​1st	​5 cm	​2 cm
​2nd	​7 cm	​3 cm
​3rd	​8 cm	​1 cm
​4th	​7 cm	​3 cm
​5th	​4 cm	​2 cm
​6th	​3 cm	​4 cm

​Understanding Valid and Reliable Investigations

Open Ended

Based on the video, explain validity and reliability in your own words.

For an investigation to be reliable, you must do it several times and get similar, if not the same, results. If I did the hummingbird investigation 3 times and the red feeder always has the most water consumed, then it is reliable.

Reliability

​For an investigation to be valid, it must test only one thing at a time. For instance, the color of the hummingbird feeder was the only thing tested. This tells me that hummingbirds are attracted to a certain color more than others.

Validity

Validity and Reliability (Investigations need to be both!)

Multiple Choice

Mr. H tested to see if cows preferred corn flavored grain over grass flavored grain, by feeding his cows corn flavored grain for a week and grass flavored grain for a week and measuring how much was left of each type of grain at the end of the week. This investigation was:

• valid but not reliable

• reliable but not valid

• both valid and reliable

• neither valid nor reliable

Multiple Choice

Sherry tested to see if apples or peaches rotted more quickly at room temperature (74 F). She placed an apple in a small container of water and a peach on a white paper towel and left each side by side on the kitchen counter. She observed each daily to see which rotted more in a week's time period. She did this same investigation for 3 weeks straight. This investigation was

• valid but not reliable

• neither valid nor reliable

• both valid and reliable

• reliable but not valid

Multiple Choice

Justin investigated to see if his 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee got better gas mileage than his wife's 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. He filled both vehicles with premium gasoline (full tank for both = 20 gallons). He made sure the tires had a pressure of 36 PSI and both had a full compartment of Full Synthetic Oil. He then drove the Jeep around town and calculated the mpg (miles per gallon) when the tank hit empty. He did the same with the Chevrolet. He did this investigation 3 times and recorded his results. This investigation was:

• neither valid nor reliable

• both valid and reliable

• reliable but not valid

• valid but not reliable

Last Part of any Investigation

​Communicating Your Results

Analysis: Here is where you just simply state your results in one to two sentences. Example: In my investigation, I learned that hummingbirds are more attracted to the color red because my red feeder had the most water consumed out of the other 4 colors.

Conclusion: A summary paragraph of the entire investigation. This paragraph will be explained further on the next slide.

Conclusion Summary Requirements

1.Restate your problem/purpose.

2. Restate your hypothesis

3. Briefly restate your procedure steps (just summarize; don't tell everything you did). Be sure you identify your variables here,

4. Give your results and inform if your hypothesis was correct or not.

5. Explain why your investigation was both valid and reliable; if it wasn't explain why this was.

6. Conclusion sentence(s)- what you learned; what you could test next; what you enjoyed about the investigation.

​Conclusion Example

In this investigation, I wanted to learn if hummingbirds were attracted to the color red over other colors. I hypothesized that hummingbirds were attracted to the color red because most hummingbird feeders have the color red as part of them. To do this investigation I purchased five feeders, painted one blue, one orange, one yellow, one clear, and left one red. These were my independent variable. I filled each with a solution of 2 tablespoons of pure, cane sugar dissolved in 2 cups water. I placed all five on a five hook post in my yard and left them for a week's time. At the beginning of the eighth day, I measured the amount of water left in each feeder. This was my dependent variable. The red colored feeder had the least amount of water left. I concluded that hummingbirds are attracted to the color red because of my results. This was a valid investigation because I only changed the color of the feeders. It is not considered reliable because I only did the investigation once. I enjoyed doing this investigation and was excited to learn that hummingbirds are more attracted to the color red.

This Will Be in Schoology

​ Unit Quiz

Log onto Nearpod with the following codes:

3 7

4 8

5

6

Review Time

What's Next?

​Unit Test/Investigation

Paper Airplane Investigation:

Materials: notebook paper, printer paper, construction paper, scissors, glue, tape (masking/scotch)

You decide: What do you want to test/learn about paper airplanes? This will be your problem or purpose.

Make sure you decide how you will test to ensure its both valid and reliable.

Blank slide

Fully complete the Lab Report Form making sure each part is done correctly.

Hints: Problem/Purpose should be in question form; hypothesis written as I think....because; Independent Variable = you change; Dependent variable = your results; Controlled = What did not change; Data chart = IV in 1st column; DV in 2nd and all other columns; Bar Graph = comparing; Line = change over time; Label X and Y axis (remember DRY MIX); Analysis = your results; conclusion paragraph = 6-8 sentence summary-see example

Stay on Task; Silliness, horseplay, being out of area, or bothering other investigations will result in a zero and forfeiture of taking part in the next investigation