STEM and The Scientific Method
Sara Maria Saborido
Subject Area: Gifted Physical Science
Associated Unit: Nature of Science
Lesson Title: Scientific Method
Header:
Grade Level: 7th/8th grade
Lesson # 2
Time Required: 55 minutes class period

Summary: The scientific method is a way to ask and answer
scientific questions by making observations and doing
experiments.

The steps of the scientific method are to:
o
Ask a Question
o
Do Background Research
o
Construct a Hypothesis
o
Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
o
Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
o
Communicate Your Results

It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. A "fair
test" occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and
keep all other conditions the same.

While scientists study how nature works, engineers create new
things, such as products, websites, environments, and
experiences.
STEM is an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The term is
typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum
choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and
technology development.
Engineering Connection: Students are required to complete a
STEM project (Science Fair project for the annual STEM district
competition). STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics.
Keywords:
1. STEM- an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
2. Scientific Method- a way to ask and answer scientific
questions by making observations and doing experiments.
3. Hypothesis- a supposition or proposed explanation made on the
basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further
investigation
4. Problem Statement-A problem statement is a concise
description of the issues that need to be addressed by a
problem solving team and should be presented to them (or
created by them) before they try to solve the problem.
5. Variable-A variable is any factor, trait, or condition that can
exist in differing amounts or types. An experiment usually has
three kinds of variables: independent, dependent, and
controlled. The independent variable is the one that is
changed by the scientist.
Educational Standards
Identify sources of information and assess their
reliability according to the strict standards of
scientific investigation.
SC.912.N.1.4:
Remarks/Examples:
Read, interpret, and examine the credibility
and validity of scientific claims in different
sources of information, such as scientific
articles, advertisements, or media stories.
Strict standards of science include
controlled variables, sufficient sample size,
replication of results, empirical and
measurable evidence, and the concept of
falsification.
Florida Standards Connections:
LAFS.910.RST.1.1 / LAFS.1112.RST.1.1.
SC.912.N.1.5:
Describe and provide examples of how similar
investigations conducted in many parts of the
world result in the same outcome.
Remarks/Examples:
Recognize that contributions to science can
be made and have been made by people from
all over the world.
Describe how scientific inferences are drawn
from scientific observations and provide
examples from the content being studied.
SC.912.N.1.6:
Remarks/Examples:
Collect data/evidence and use tables/graphs
to draw conclusions and make inferences
based on patterns or trends in the data.
Florida Standards Connections:
MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems
and persevere in solving them.
Recognize the role of creativity in constructing
scientific questions, methods and explanations.
SC.912.N.1.7:
Remarks/Examples:
Work through difficult problems using
creativity, and critical and analytical
thinking in problem solving (e.g. convergent
versus divergent thinking and creativity in
problem solving).
Florida Standards Connections:
MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems
and persevere in solving them and
MAFS.K12.MP.2: Reason abstractly and
quantitatively.
Identify what is science, what clearly is not
science, and what superficially resembles
science (but fails to meet the criteria for
science).
SC.912.N.2.1:
SC.912.N.2.2:
Remarks/Examples:
Science is the systematic and organized
inquiry that is derived from observations
and experimentation that can be verified or
tested by further investigation to explain
natural phenomena (e.g. Science is testable,
pseudo-science is not science seeks
falsifications, pseudo-science seeks
confirmations.)
Identify which questions can be answered
through science and which questions are
outside the boundaries of scientific
investigation, such as questions addressed by
other ways of knowing, such as art, philosophy,
and religion.
Remarks/Examples:
Identify scientific questions that can be
disproved by experimentation/testing.
Recognize that pseudoscience is a claim,
belief, or practice which is presented as
scientific, but does not adhere to strict
standards of science (e.g. controlled
variables, sample size, replicability, empirical
and measurable evidence, and the concept
of falsification).
Florida Standards Connections:
MAFS.K12.MP.3: Construct viable
arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
Identify examples of pseudoscience (such as
astrology, phrenology) in society.
SC.912.N.2.3:
SC.912.N.2.4:
Remarks/Examples:
Determine if the phenomenon (event) can be
observed, measured, and tested through
scientific experimentation.
Explain that scientific knowledge is both
durable and robust and open to change.
Scientific knowledge can change because it is
often examined and re-examined by new
investigations and scientific argumentation.
Because of these frequent examinations,
scientific knowledge becomes stronger, leading
to its durability.
Remarks/Examples:
Recognize that ideas with the most durable
explanatory power become established
theories, but scientific explanations are
continually subjected to change in the face
of new evidence.
Florida Standards Connections:
MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems
and persevere in solving them
MAFS.K12.MP.3: Construct viable
arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
SC.912.N.2.5:
Describe instances in which scientists' varied
backgrounds, talents, interests, and goals
influence the inferences and thus the
explanations that they make about observations
of natural phenomena and describe that
competing interpretations (explanations) of
scientists are a strength of science as they are
a source of new, testable ideas that have the
potential to add new evidence to support one
or another of the explanations.
Remarks/Examples:
Recognize that scientific questions,
observations, and conclusions may be
influenced by the existing state of scientific
knowledge, the social and cultural context
of the researcher, and the observer's
experiences and expectations. Identify
possible bias in qualitative and quantitative
data analysis.
Explain that a scientific theory is the
culmination of many scientific investigations
drawing together all the current evidence
concerning a substantial range of phenomena;
thus, a scientific theory represents the most
powerful explanation scientists have to offer.
SC.912.N.3.1:
Remarks/Examples:
Explain that a scientific theory is a welltested hypothesis supported by a
preponderance of empirical evidence.
Florida Standards Connections:
MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems
and persevere in solving them and,
MAFS.K12.MP.3: Construct viable
arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
Pre-Requisite Knowledge
Students should be introduced to the concepts of the
Scientific Method and the importance of the STEM
competition. Students should be familiar with the basic
components of the Scientific Method such as hypothesis,
variables, conclusion, data, and problem statement.
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students should be able to design their own
Science Fair experiment using all the components required in the
Scientific Method.
Introduction/Motivation
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating
phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and
integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a
method of inquiry is commonly based on empirical or measurable
evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.The Oxford
English Dictionary defines the scientific method as "a method or
procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th
century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and
experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of
hypotheses."
The scientific method is an ongoing process, which usually
begins with observations about the natural world. Human beings
are naturally inquisitive, so they often come up with questions
about things they see or hear and often develop ideas
(hypotheses) about why things are the way they are. The best
hypotheses lead to predictions that can be tested in various
ways, including making further observations about nature. In
general, the strongest tests of hypotheses come from carefully
controlled and replicated experiments that gather empirical data.
Depending on how well the tests match the predictions, the
original hypothesis may require refinement, alteration, expansion
or even rejection. If a particular hypothesis becomes very well
supported a general theory may be developed.
Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to
another, identifiable features are frequently shared in common
between them. The overall process of the scientific method
involves making conjectures (hypotheses), deriving predictions
from them as logical consequences, and then carrying out
experiments based on those predictions. A hypothesis is a
conjecture, based on knowledge obtained while formulating the
question. The hypothesis might be very specific or it might be
broad. Scientists then test hypotheses by conducting
experiments. Under modern interpretations, a scientific
hypothesis must be falsifiable, implying that it is possible to
identify a possible outcome of an experiment that conflicts with
predictions deduced from the hypothesis; otherwise, the
hypothesis cannot be meaningfully tested.
STEM is an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The term is
typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum
choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and
technology development.
Vocabulary/Definitions
1. STEM- an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
2. Scientific Method- a way to ask and answer scientific
questions by making observations and doing experiments.
3. Hypothesis- a supposition or proposed explanation made on the
basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further
investigation
4. Problem Statement-A problem statement is a concise
description of the issues that need to be addressed by a
problem solving team and should be presented to them (or
created by them) before they try to solve the problem.
5. Variable-A variable is any factor, trait, or condition that can
exist in differing amounts or types. An experiment usually has
three kinds of variables: independent, dependent, and
controlled. The independent variable is the one that is
changed by the scientist.
Associated Activities
It is recommended that students know every part of the
scientific method and its importance and how it is related to
STEM.
Assessment
Students are required to complete a Science Fair project for
the annual district and regional STEM competition. I will collect on
a weekly basis each component that is required for their Science
Fair project board and final report.
Contributor
Sara Maria Saborido
Supporting Program
Research Experience for Teachers (RET) at Florida
International University
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Dr. Masoud Milani, Stephanie Strange, Dr.
Sharan Ramaswamy and everyone else involved in this wonderful
program.
Classroom Testing Information
This STEM activity is designed for all middle school and high
school science courses.