Name _________________________________
Science
Date ___________________
Many Minds. One Mission. _______
Forming a Hypothesis
Do Now: Read the background information and answer the questions below:
Every material in the world can be defined in terms of how well it conducts electricity. To
conduct electricity means to carry electricity through it. Metals are usually good
conductors of electricity, bendable and shiny. Certain things, such as cold glass, never
conduct electricity. They're known as insulators and are non-metals. Nonmetals are usually
brittle (break easily) and non-shiny. Materials which do conduct electricity, like copper,
are called conductors.
1. What does it mean to conduct electricity? ______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Circle the type of material that will conduct electricity: metals nonmetals
AIM: SWBAT _______________________ a hypothesis to predict the electrical conductivity of
_______________________________________________.
An element is _______________________________________________________________________________________.
A hypothesis is _____________________________________________________________________________________.
Criteria for Success (developing a hypothesis)
To develop a hypothesis I must make sure it:
1. Contains the _______________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Gives a reason ____________________________________________________________________________________.
Teacher Model: Copper
1. Contains the independent and dependent variables
I believe that copper will conduct electricity …
2. Gives a reason using prior scientific knowledge
because it is shiny, not bendable and appears to be a metal.
My hypothesis: I believe that copper will conduct electricity because it is shiny, not bendable
and appears to be a metal.
I know that this is a good hypothesis because it __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Incorrect Hypothesis
First example:
It will conduct electricity because it is shiny, not bendable and appears to be a metal.
This is incorrect because it does not _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Help Me Out
Hypothesis for Sulfur:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Incorrect Example: explain why this is incorrect.
The copper will conduct electricity.
This is incorrect because it does not _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Partner Talk
1. Develop your hypothesis for two other elements. Be sure to write down the element
name BEFORE you write your hypothesis.
Element _______________________________
Observations: ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Element _______________________________
Observations: ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Is this a good hypothesis? Explain in one complete sentence using the criteria for
success.
I believe that the lead (Pb) will not conduct electricity because it is soft and flimsy so it
might be difficult for electricity to flow.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Independent Practice
1. Write your element name, observations and hypothesis for your element.
Element _______________________________
Observations: ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is a hypothesis? _______________________________________________________________________
3. Is this a good hypothesis? Explain in one complete sentence using the criteria for
success.
I believe that the Sulfur will not conduct electricity.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Electrical Conductivity Data Table
Element
Shiny?
Bendable?
Conducts
Electricity?
(hypothesis)
Conducts
Electricity?
(observed results)
Metal or
Nonmetal?
Copper
Sulfur
Aluminum
Carbon
Lead
Zinc
Analysis: Write down anything you are noticing about the chart above. What patterns or
trends do you notice?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Analysis and Conclusion
Which elements conducted electricity?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What properties (in the data table) are shared between the elements that conducted electricity?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you had to describe to a friend the types of elements that conduct electricity, how would you
describe them?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your friend has an element that is not bendable, breaks easily and is not shiny. She decides
that it will conduct electricity. Does your experiment support this? Explain in 1-2 sentences
using details from your experiment and data table.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extension: to be completed when there is time to “assign yourself.”
Predict if the following elements would conduct electricity. Justify your response with at
least 1-2 complete sentences.
Element Description
bendable, shiny,
conducts heat
Not bendable, not shiny,
does not conduct heat
Bendable, not shiny,
Not bendable, shiny
Hypothesis:
Conducts
Electricity?
Justification
Name ____________________________
Date ________________________
Class _______________________________
Exit Slip
1. Circle the best answer.
What is a hypothesis?
a) Drawing inferences about data
b) collecting data
c) An educated guess
d) Things we notice and observe
2. What is the name of the element that you have in your basket? ________________
3. Write your hypothesis for the last element in your basket.
4. Is this hypothesis written correctly? Explain why this hypothesis is incorrect using
the criteria for success.
Hypothesis: It will explode.
1st reason it is not correct: _____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2nd reason it is not correct: _____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Name _______________________________
Date ____________________________
Homeroom _________________________
Science
Homework 9
Complete the chart below with the missing information.
Subatomic
Particle
Charge
-
neutron
+
Complete the chart below using your periodic table on page 125 of your planner.
Element
Tungsten
Symbol
W
Krypton
Silver
Ag
Hydrogen
Lithium
Potassium
Fluorine
K
Atomic
Number
Number of
Protons
Number of
Electrons
Analysis
Analyze the definition of “hypothesis” by answering the question below.
Hypothesis: an educated guess
Why do you think the word “educated” included in the definition?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________
Reading Comprehension: read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
The fifth step of the scientific method is to draw a conclusion. Scientists draw conclusions by
examining the data from the experiment. There are basically two possible outcomes. Either the
experiment supported the hypothesis and can be regarded as true, or the experiment disproved
the hypothesis as false. If the hypothesis is false, repeat the steps in the scientific method and
make adjustments to your hypothesis.
1. How do scientists make conclusions?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you do if the hypothesis is proven false?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________