Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
Scientific Inquiry Activity Packet #1
1. Eggs in a Beaker
a. Record your qualitative and quantitative observations below.
Qualitative:
Quantitative:
b. Write 3 questions you have.
c. How could you figure out an answer to your questions? Brainstorm at
least 2 things you could do (besides ask me!).
2. Choosing the Right Problem
a. Which of the following questions can be answered by scientific
inquiry?
i. Is running a better sport than swimming?
ii. Does running raise your heart rate more than swimming?
iii. Which brand of tennis shoes looks best?
b. Why did you circle the above question?
c. Which of the following questions can be answered by scientific
inquiry?
i. Is 8th grade better than 6th grade?
ii. Which genre of music allows students to perform best on tests?
iii. Which brand of jeans is most comfortable?
d. Why did you circle the above question?
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
e. Which of the following questions can be answered by scientific
inquiry?
i. How does talking to a plant affect a plants height?
ii. Where are whales found in the world?
iii. Why do people smoke?
f. Why did you circle the above question?
g. Which of the following questions can be answered by scientific
inquiry?
i. Which objects are attracted by a magnet: paperclip, penny, foil?
ii. What types of apples grow in Missouri?
iii. How does the amount of independent studying affect science
class test scores?
h. Why did you circle the above question?
3. Write a Hypothesis
a. Problem #1: What genre of music allows 7th grade students to
perform best on tests?
b. Fill in the hypothesis: I think that if ___________________________ music is
played, then 7th grade students will perform better/worst (circle one)
on tests.
c. Problem #2: How will gum affect the attention of students during
class?
d. Fill in the hypothesis: I think that if gum is chewed, then the attention
of students during class will _________________________.
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
e. Problem #3: Which brand of marker will last the longest without
drying out?
f. Fill in the hypothesis: ___________________________ that if
______________________ markers are tested, then ____________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
g. Problem #4: Which cereal brand increases the hyperactivity of my
younger brother the most?
h. Write the hypothesis:
i.
Problem #5: How will smiling affect the amount of homework the
teacher gives?
j.
Fill in the hypothesis: I think that if you increase the number of smiles,
then ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
k. Problem #6: How will the number of hours spent at sports affect the
students’ performance at school?
l.
Write the hypothesis:
m. Problem #7: How does the amount of daylight affect how many eggs
laid by a chicken?
n. Write the hypothesis:
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
o. Problem #8: How will batting practice affect a player’s batting
average?
p. Write the hypothesis:
q. Problem #9: How does the size of a paper towel affect the amount of
water it can hold?
r. Write the hypothesis:
s. Problem #10: How does advertising for can collection week affect the
number of cans collected?
t. Write they hypothesis:
4. Write a Scientific Question/Problem
a. Write two of your own scientific questions using the examples above.
Remember, they should not be based on personal tastes or opinions.
5. Salt or Sugar?
a. Problem: Which solvent dissolves the quickest in water?
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
b. Write a hypothesis:
c. Manipulated Variable:
d. Responding Variable with unit:
e. Controlled Variables (List 3):
6. Identifying Variables
a. Kevin wants to find out which type of music allows students to
perform best on tests. He has three groups of 30 students each go into
a different room to take a test. In one room he has classical music
playing at 60 decibels. In the other room he has country music
playing at 60 decibels. In the third room he has hip-hop music playing
at 60 decibels. Kevin repeats this same procedure for two additional
tests.
i. Manipulated Variable:
ii. Responding Variable with unit:
iii. Controlled Variables (list 3):
b. Susan wants to find out whether plants produce more leaves when
grown in blue, red, or yellow light. She sets up three different pots of
plants. One pot has blue light shining on it. The other pot has red
light shining on it. The third pot has yellow light shining on it. Susan
waters the plants daily and counts the number of leaves for two
weeks.
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i.
Manipulated Variable:
ii.
Responding Variable with unit:
iii.
Controlled Variables (list 3):
Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
c. John is trying to figure out if basketball players have lower blood
pressure than people who don’t play basketball. He forms a group of
50 basketball players and 50 non-basketball players and records their
blood pressure every week for one year.
i. Manipulated Variable:
ii. Responding Variable with unit:
iii. Controlled Variables (list 3):
d. Squidward loves playing his clarinet and believes it attracts more
jellyfish than any other instrument he has played. In order to test his
hypothesis, Squidward played a song on his clarinet for a total of 5
minutes and counted the number of jellyfish he saw in his front yard.
He played the song a total of 3 times on his clarinet and repeated the
experiment using a flute and a guitar. He also recorded the number of
jellyfish he observed when he was not playing an instrument. The
results are shown in the chart.
i.
Manipulated Variable:
ii.
Responding Variable with unit:
iii.
Controlled Variables (list 3):
7. Writing a Procedure about Writing…
a. Write down step-by-step directions as to how to write with a pencil.
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Period _____________
b. As a class, write down step-by-step directions as to how to write with
a pencil.
8. Grilled Cheese Sandwich Challenge
a. You all know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, right? List the
materials needed to make a sandwich. Be detailed! Include size,
quantity, and descriptions!
b. In groups, write a procedure on how to make a grilled cheese
sandwich.
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