Lessons on Scientific Method

EXPERIMENTAL

DESIGN
Intro

With Mrs. Steely

Contents

Introduction

1.

The Steps

2.

Definitions

3.

Examples

4.

You Try

5.

Introduction

The scientific method is a process used to obtain
knowledge through observations and make meaning from the observations.

Observation

1.

Question

2.

Research

3.

Hypothesis

4.

Experiment

5.

Conclusion

6.

Communicate Your Results

7.

​The Steps

Definitions

Observation

You observe/notice something using one of your 5 senses

You see something

You hear something

You taste something

You smell something

And your

observation

makes you think...

I wonder...

W h y d o e s t h a t h a p p e n ?

W h a t i f I c h a n g e d t h e w a y . . .

I s t h a t w h a t a l w a y s h a p p e n s ?

The problem you want

to solve

Question

How do you solve your problem?

What do you already know about solving the problem and what do

others know about it?

Research

Hypothesis

Based on your research and logic,
this is what you think will happen
when you try to solve the problem.

When you write your hypothesis,
you will write it in

"If, then" format.

If I do this, then this will happen.

Experiment

This is where you test your hypothesis to see if you were right.

Parts of an
Experiment

• Independent Variable

This is the one thing you are going to change in the experiment.

In your hypothesis this is what comes after the “If I”

• Dependent Variable

This is what is going to change because of the independent

variable and this is what you are going to measure.

In your hypothesis this is what comes after the “then this”

• Constants

These are the things that are going to stay the

same when you perform the experiment because
they could impact the outcome and you can only
have 1 independent variable in an experiment.

• Control

This is the normal response.

That means that this is what normally happens. It’s what you observed in step 1.

• Procedures

These are the steps you are going to follow when

you perform your experiment.

• Data

These are the measurements you are going to

make and record during your experiment.

Conclusion

This is where you decide if you were
right or wrong when you made your
hypothesis. Did what you think would
happen or did something else happen?

Communicate
Your Results

This is when you get to tell the

scientific community about

what your findings.

E x a m p l e s

Observation

Question

Research

Experiment

Identify the parts of the

experiment

• Independent Variable

This is the one thing you are going to change in the experiment.

In your hypothesis this is what comes after the “If I”

• Dependent Variable

This is what is going to change because of the independent

variable and this is what you are going to measure.

In your hypothesis this is what comes after the “then this”

• Constants

What did they keep the same in the experiment

so it wouldn’t effect the outcome?

• Control

This is the normal response.

That means that this is what normally happens. It’s what you observed

in step 1.

• Procedures

These are the steps you are going to follow when

you perform your experiment.

• Data

These are the measurements you are going to

make and record during your experiment.

Conclusion

Was their hypothesis correct?