Name: __________________________________________
Date: _________________
Fortune Teller Fish Science
Read the directions on the fortune teller fish packet. Make a prediction about
what you think will happen when you put the fish in your hand:
______________________________________________________________
Carefully remove the fortune teller fish from the envelope. Lay the fish flat in
the palm of your hand. What happened? _______________________________
_____________________________________________________________
What do you think causes the fish to behave the way it did?
_____________________________________________________________
Develop a question you would like to investigate about the fortune teller fish?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Once your question is approved, write a hypothesis for your investigation.
_____________________________________________________________
How will you test your hypothesis? Write a detailed description of the procedure
you will use to test your hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list.
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Procedure:
How are you going to be sure this is a controlled experiment?
Results: Record the results of your experiment here. Draw a graph or table if
needed.
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Conclusions:
1. What did your data show? Did you support or reject your hypothesis?
2. What was the independent variable in your investigation?
3. What was the dependent variable in your investigation?
4. What was your experimental group?
5. What was your control group?
6. What are some possible sources of error in your experiment?
7. What are some other things you could test?
8. How could you improve your experiment?
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Teacher notes:
Fortune teller fish are small “fish” made of an acetate paper. The come in an
envelope that gives instructions and gives the “fortunes.” The “fish” will move
differently depending on the student, so the students must investigate what makes
the fish move differently for each person. I usually order my fortune teller fish
from Ebay or Amazon. They sometimes can be purchased at a party store or
novelty shop. They are relatively inexpensive.
Students will have different ideas of what causes the fish to move the way it does.
Usually the most common idea is that temperature effects the movement of the
fish. It is actually moisture that effects the fish’s movements.
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