Scientific
Method
Stations
Page
2
3-4
Contents
Teacher set-up and directions
Student lab worksheet
5
Station 1: Hypothesis practice
6
Station 2: Observation and inference
7
Station 3: Identifying variables
8
Station 4: Data collection
9
Station 5: Identifying controls
10
Station 6: CER practice
11
Station 7: Graphing practice
12
Station 8: Data analysis
13 - 14
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Answer key
Teacher Directions
Put students in groups and assign them to a station. Note: not all students will start at
station 1, so be sure they start at the correct spot on their worksheet. Give groups
roughly 5 minutes at each station before having them rotate (you can adjust the time
based on your class period length). Some stations take longer than others, so I always
remind students if they finish early, they need to stay at their station until it is time to
rotate. I put up a timer on the board so they know exactly how long they have.
It is recommended to print station pages in color. Laminate or slide into a page
protector so you can use them year after year.
Station 1: Hypothesis practice
At this station students will read 3 scientific questions and write a testable hypothesis.
No additional resources are necessary.
Station 2: Observation and inference
At this station students will look at 2 pictures, and make an observation and inference
for each. No additional resources are necessary.
Station 3: Identifying variables
At this station students will read through 3 experiments and identify the independent
and dependent variables for each. No additional resources are necessary.
Station 4: Data collection
At this station students will use a meter stick to measure their reaction time. You need
to provide a meter stick (and a calculator if they don’t have their phones so they can
calculate their average). You might want to model this station prior to the activity so
students know exactly what to do.
Station 5: Identifying controls
At this station students will read through an experiment and answer questions relating
to controls and a controlled experiment. No additional resources are necessary.
Station 6: CER practice
At this station students will watch a video clip and identify the claim. They need to look
for evidence provided in the video to support the claim, and explain their reasoning.
You will need to provide a laptop with YouTube access at this station.
Station 7: Graphing practice
At this station students will look at a data set and create a line graph. No additional
resources are necessary.
Station 8: Data analysis
At this station students will analyze a graph and answer questions. No additional
resources are necessary.
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© SCIENCE LESSONS THAT ROCK
Scientific method Stations
Name:
Period:
Date:
© SCIENCE LESSONS THAT ROCK
Directions: You will be rotating around the room to 8 different stations. At each station,
directions will be provided on what to do. You will have ~5 minutes to complete each
station before you need to rotate. (Note: Some stations are quicker than others. If you
finish early, don’t move ahead! Be patient J)
Station 1: Hypothesis practice
A: ___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
B: ___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
C: ___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Station 2: Observation and inference practice
A observation: _______________________________________________________________________
A inference: _________________________________________________________________________
B observation: ________________________________________________________________________
B inference: __________________________________________________________________________
Station 3: Variables practice
A) IV: ____________________________________________________
DV: ___________________________________________________
B) IV: ____________________________________________________
DV: ___________________________________________________
C) IV: ____________________________________________________
DV: ___________________________________________________
Station 4: Data collection
Trial 1 (cm)
Person 1
Person 2
Trial 2 (cm)
Trial 3 (cm)
Average
Station 5: Controls
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1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________ , __________________________ , __________________________
Station 6: CER practice
What was the CLAIM: _________________________________________________________________
What EVIDENCE did they provide: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
What is their reasoning: _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Station 7: Graphing practice
Make sure your graph has:
• X and Y axis labels
• Proper scale
• Title
• Key (if necessary)
Station 8: Data analysis
1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Station 1
Hypothesis practice
Directions: Below are 3 scientific questions. Read
each question and write a testable hypothesis.
(If you are stuck, use if-then-because format).
A) Does a person’s mass impact their
speed going down a playground slide?
B) Do organic strawberries mold faster than
non-organic strawberries?
C) Does turning down the brightness on
your cell phone extend the battery life?
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Station 2
Observation & Inference
Directions: For the two pictures below, write 1 observation and 1
inference. Your inference should be based on your observation.
(For example, if you observe leaves on a tomato plant getting
eaten, you can infer there are caterpillars in your garden).
A
Rock found at
same beach,
near the shore
Rock found
at the beach
B
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Station 3
Identifying variables
Directions: Below are 3 experiments. Read
through each and identify the independent and
dependent variables in the experiment.
A) Michael wants to test if Extra gum really has longer
lasting flavor. He buys peppermint Extra gum, and
peppermint Trident gum. He chews a piece of
extra gum and measures the amount of time it
takes for the flavor to run out. Then he repeats the
experiment with Trident gum. He also has 3 friends
try the experiment and compares the results.
B) Maritza wants to know if adding worms to her
garden makes the plants grow larger. She gets 2
flower beds and adds worms to one of them. She
plants 5 sunflower plants in each bed. She
measures the height of each plant weekly for 3
months.
C) Jaidyn is often late for school, and decides to drive
a different route to avoid traffic. He drives his
normal route every day for a week and times how
long it takes to get to school. Then he drives the
new route every day for a week and times
how long it takes to get to school. He finds
the new route saves him 2 minutes.
Station 4
Data collection station
For this experiment, you will need
2 volunteers from your group.
1.
Person
#2
2.
3.
4.
5.
Person
#1
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6.
Have person #1 hold their
hand in a U-shape as
pictured.
Have person #2 hold a meter
stick so the zero is lined up
with person #1’s thumb (as
pictured).
Person #2 will release the
meter stick randomly without
warning person #1. Person #1
will catch the meter stick as
soon as they see it fall.
Record where person #1’s
thumb lands on the meter
stick. How far did it fall before
they were able to catch it?
Repeat the experiment 3
times, and then switch roles.
Calculate the average
reaction time for each
person.
Station 5
Identifying controls
Directions: Read through the experiment below and
answer the questions.
Isabella wants to perfect her chocolate chip cookie recipe and
make them more fluffy. She decides to test the amount of
baking soda. In the first batch, she keeps her normal 1tsp of
baking soda. In batch 2 she uses ½ tsp of baking soda, and in
batch 3 she uses 2 tsp of baking soda.
Trial 1:
1 tsp
Trial 2:
1/2 tsp
Trial 3:
2 tsp
QUESTIONS:
1. What is a control?
2. In this experiment, which trial is the control?
3. What is the purpose of having a controlled trial?
4. In this experiment, list 3 things that should remain constant
between all trials.
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Station 6
CER practice
Directions: Head to https://bit.ly/3C4HoqJ
(link is case sensitive) and watch the
Mythbusters video clip.
After watching, fill out the CER chart.
What is the claim they are testing?
What evidence do they provide to support the
claim? Why is this important?
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Station 7
Create a graph
Directions: Below is the time of sunrise on the 1st day
of each month in Phoenix, Arizona. Set up a graph
and plot the data. When you are finished plotting
the points, connect the dots to create a line graph.
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Month
Time of Sunrise
January
7:32 am
February
7:24 am
March
6:56 am
April
6:15 am
May
5:39 am
June
5:19 am
July
5:22 am
August
5:41 am
September
6:02 am
October
6:22 am
November
6:47 am
December
7:14 am
Station 8
Analyzing data
Directions: Examine the graph and answer the
questions below.
Note: Values above 12.1 are considered a “failing” score
Source: American Lung Association State of the Air 2021
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why did the author choose to use a bar graph?
What could be added to make this graph more clear?
What patterns do you notice about the cities listed?
Make a prediction of what the data might look like 10 years
from now.
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Scientific method Station Lab
Name: ANSWER KEY
Period:
Date:
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Directions: You will be rotating around the room to 8 different stations. At each station,
directions will be provided on what to do. You will have ~5 minutes to complete each
station before you need to rotate. (Note: Some stations are quicker than others. If you
finish early, don’t move ahead! Be patient J )
Station 1: Hypothesis practice (ANSWERS WILL VARY. SAMPLE ANSWERS BELOW).
A: THE GREATER THE PERSON’S MASS, THE SLOWER THEY WILL SLIDE BECAUSE THERE IS
MORE FRICTION BETWEEN THE PERSON AND THE SLIDE.
B: NON-ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES WILL MOLD AT THE SAME RATE AS ORGANIC BECAUSE
NEITHER HAVE PRESERVATIVES.
C: IF YOU TURN THE BRIGHTNESS DOWN ON YOUR PHONE, THE BATTERY LIFE WILL BE
EXTENDED BECAUSE IT ISN’T USING AS MUCH ENERGY.
Station 2: Observation and inference practice (ANSWERS MAY VARY)
A observation: THE ROCK FOUND NEAR THE SHORE IS SMOOTHER THAN THE ROCK FOUND
FURTHER BACK.
A inference: WATER EROSION CAUSED THE SHORE ROCK TO BECOME SMOOTH.
B observation: THE OWL IS CAMOFLAUGED TO BLEND IN WITH THE TREE.
B inference: THE OWL MIGHT BE LOOKING FOR PREY AND TRYING TO REMAIN
UNDETECTED.
Station 3: Variables practice
A) IV: BRAND OF CHEWING GUM
DV: TIME OF LASTING FLAVOR
B) IV: WORMS IN THE GARDEN
DV: SUNFLOWER HEIGHT
C) IV: ROUTE DRIVEN TO SCHOOL
DV: TIME IT TAKES TO ARRIVE AT SCHOOL
Station 4: Data collection ANSWERS WILL VARY. CHECK THAT STUDENTS KNOW HOW TO
CALCULATE AN AVERAGE AND ARE INDEED USING CM, NOT INCHES.
Trial 1 (cm)
Person 1
Person 2
Trial 2 (cm)
Trial 3 (cm)
Average
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Station 5: Controls
1. A CONTROL IS A TRIAL WE USE TO COMPARE BACK TO.
2. TRIAL 1
3. WITHOUT A CONTROL, YOU CAN’T MEASURE THE IMPACT OF YOUR INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE.
4. OVEN TEMPERATURE, MEASUREMENTS OF OTHER INGREDIENTS, BAKING TIME
Station 6: CER practice
What was the CLAIM: A MOTORCYCLE IS ABLE TO RIDE ON TOP OF WATER AND CROSS A
LAKE.
What EVIDENCE did they provide: THEY SHOW THE MOTORCYCLE CROSS THE LAKE AT 60
MPH. THEY WERE SUCCESSSFUL WITH DISTANCES LESS THAN 300 FT.
What is their reasoning: THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE CLAIM BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT A
MOTORCYCLE IS ABLE TO STAY ON TOP OF THE WATER FOR SHORT DISTANCES. THIS COULD
BE IMPORTANT IF YOU VEER OFF THE ROAD OR ARE DRIVING THROUGH A HEAVY
RAINSTORM.
Station 7: Graphing practice
7:40
7:12
TIME (AM)
Make sure your graph has:
• X and Y axis labels
• Proper scale
• Title
• Key (if necessary)
MONTHLY SUNRISE TIME IN PHOENIX, AZ
6:43
6:14
5:45
5:16
US
SE
T
PT
EM
BE
R
OC
TO
NO BER
VE
M
BE
DE
R
CE
M
BE
R
LY
JU
AU
G
NE
JU
AY
M
IL
AP
R
JA
NU
AR
Y
FE
BR
UA
RY
M
AR
CH
4:48
MONTH
Station 8: Data analysis
1. BAR GRAPHS ARE USED TO COMPARE VALUES IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES (CITIES)
2. ADDING A LABEL TO THE X AXIS TO MAKE THE VALUE MORE CLEAR
3. LOTS OF CALIFORNIA CITIES. ALL CITIES LOCATED IN WESTERN REGION OF USA
4. UNLESS WE REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS, THE NUMBERS WILL LIKELY
INCREASE
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