Unit 1 Learning Targets 1,3,6,7 Review 10/17/12
Name_________________________________________ Date__________Period______
Target 1:
Write the steps to the scientific process in order. Describe what is done in each step. Use the
Gobstoppers lab to provide an example for each.
Purpose: Ask a testable question. Example) Which solution will dissolve gobstoppers most quickly?
Research: Find out as much as you can about your topic. Example) gobstoppers change colors as
the dissolve.
Hypothesis: Write a testable “If…then…because…” statement. Example) If I dissolve gobstoppers in
vinegar, then they will dissolve more quickly than they do in water because, vinegar is an acid.
Design and do a test: list materials, write a procedure, and perform the test by following the
procedure, make observations and record data.
Analysis: Summarize your data in written form. Example) After 30 seconds in water, the color from
the gobstoppers was just beginning to spread.
Conclusion: State whether or not your hypothesis was supported by your data. Give evidence to
support your statement. Write an application or extension for your investigation. Example) I claim
that my hypothesis was supported. My evidence is that after being in the vinegar for 1.5 minutes,
the gobstoppers were turning white. After 1.5 minutes in the water however, the gobstoppers had
changed color but were not yet white. Extension) I would like to get other candies, like Skittles,
and see if the results are the same as the results for the gobstoppers.
Target 3:
Identify the following as an inference, opinion, or observation. Give evidence to support your
answer.
1. The owl is hooting. I claim that this is an observation. My evidence is that it is something
you hear and it is factual.
2. Its hoot has a haunting sound. I claim that this is an opinion because some people may not
agree that it is a haunting sound.
3. The owl is lonely and is calling for its mate. I claim this is an inference because it is not a
fact. It is a possible explanation for why the owl is hooting.
4. The owl as in the pine tree. I claim that this is an observation because it states a fact that
everyone can agree on.
Target 6:
Write the definition for each of the following:
Independent variable: the one thing that is changed in an experiment. (the cause of the
dependent variable)
Dependent variable: the thing in the experiment which is being measured. (the effect of the
independent variable)
Controlled variable: all of the things that stay the same in the experiment
Lucy wanted to know if the color of an M&M had an effect on how quickly the M&M would melt.
She bought a bag of M&Ms and took out 1 of each color. She placed them side by side on a piece of
foil in the sun. She watched to see if there were any changes in the outside shell and recorded her
observations every 30 seconds. She also tapped lightly on each one using the eraser end of a pencil
every 30 seconds to see if the shell would break.
Identify the variables in Lucy’s experiment. Explain you reasoning.
Independent Variable: I claim that the color of the M&M is the independent variable because it is
the only thing which changes.
Dependent Variable: I claim that the rate at which each color M&M melts is the dependent variable
because it is what is being measured.
Controlled variables: I claim that the controlled variables in Lucy’s experiment are: the amount of
sun each M&M received, the type of M&M, the amount of time between observations. My
evidence is that these are the variables which stayed the same for each M&M.
Target 7:
Phynn noticed that every time she went to the hall closet, her dog would become excited and
started to bark and wag his tail. She thought it was because that is where she kept his leash and that
he probably thought she was going to take him for a walk. She decided to test this by moving the
leash to another closet. She thought that after a week her dog would stop getting excited when she
went to the hall closet but would start getting excited when she went to the other close.
Write a hypothesis for Phynn. Be sure to write is as a testable “If …then…because…” statement.
If I change the location of my dog’s leash to a different closet for two weeks, then by the end of the
two weeks he will bark and wag his tail when I go to the new location because, he will know that his
leash is there and think he is going for a walk.
What is one way in which she could extend her experiment? (Hint: change the I.V.)
One way to extend her experiment is to see if other people would be willing to try the experiment
with their dogs to see if the results were the same for other dogs.