7th Grade
SAFETY
ADVANCED
PREPARATION
Thinking Like a 21st Century Scientist / Engineer:
Introduction to Science and Engineering
All lab safety guidelines should be followed.
Copies of the guided reading “7th Grade Science Process Reading”
Preview the websites below and select one
Copies of the rubric for evaluating student work
Objective: The objective of this activity is to engage students and formatively assess
their knowledge related to the process of doing science and using scientific
equipment.
ACTIVITIES
(4 days)
What is the teacher doing?
Science Process (Day 1)
Handout copies of “7th Science Process
Reading”
Read Chapter 1 Section 1-4 (pp. 6 – 26)
in the Prentice Hall Life Science
textbook.
Point out that the main ideas of the
paragraphs are different from the most
important information. Ask students why
the authors may have done this. Possible
answers are that the author wanted to
provide a real world example of science
in action before providing the take
away knowledge of what science is and
introducing scientific skills.
You can extend student understanding
by asking how the first paragraph is
different from the second two.
Science Process (Days 2-4)
Handout copies of “7th Science Process
Reading Section 2: Science Inquiry” and
“Scientific Process Scenario Rubric”
Instruct students to read Chapter 1
section 2 “Scientific Inquiry”
In preparation for the following activity,
have students complete some or all of
the following worksheets (Sponge Bob:
Controls and Variable – Part 1 and Part
2, and Bikini Bottom Experiments.)
Review answers as a class.
Point out the websites listed in section C
of the activity to students. These
websites provide models for the
scenarios.
Facilitate students writing their own
scenarios about lab experiments.
Review the rubric with them so they
know what components that are
expected to include.
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
What are the students doing?
(Day 1)
1. Read chapter 1 section 1 in the
Prentice Hall Life Science Textbook.
Answer the questions on the
handout “7th Science Process
Reading”
Science Process (Days 2-4)
1. Read Chapter 1 section 2
“Scientific Inquiry”
2. Completing Sponge Bob
worksheets to see example of
scenarios while being able to
identify parts of an experiment.
3. Create a scenario in which the
parts of an experiment are
illustrated
1
Name __________________________________ Date ___________________________ Per ___________
7th Science Process Reading (pages 6-13 of Life Science)
1) (p. 6) of Life Science. What is the main idea of the first three paragraphs?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2) Illustrate- What does “science” look like?
3) What are the skills a scientist needs?
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
4) Read the sub-section “Observing.” What is the main idea in this sub-section?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
5) What are two important details from the sub-section?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
6) What is the main idea of the sub-section “Inferring?”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
7) What is the main idea of “Predicting?”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
8) What is the main idea of “Classifying”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
9) What is the main idea of “Making Models?”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
10) What is the main idea of “Working in Life Science?”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
2
Teacher’s Key 7th Science Process (pages 6-13 of Life Science)
1) (p. 6) of Life Science. What is the main idea of the first three paragraphs?
The main idea is that “Her studies are an example of science in action.” 1. “Science is a way
of learning about the natural world.” 2. “Scientists use skills such as observing, inferring,
predicting, classifying, and making models to learn more about the world.”
2) Illustrate- What does “science” look like?
3) What are the skills a scientist needs?
Scientists use skills such as observing,
Appropriate picture of science investigation
inferring, predicting, and making models
to learn more about the world.
4) Read the sub-section “Observing.” What is the main idea in this sub-section?
Observing means to use one or more of your senses to gather information.
5) What are two important details from the sub-section?
Quantitative observations deal with a number, or amount.
Qualitative observations deal with descriptions that cannot be expressed in
numbers.
6) What is the main idea of the sub-section “Inferring?”
When you explain or interpret the things you observe, you are inferring.
7) What is the main idea of “Predicting?”
Predicting means making a forecast of what will happen in the future based on past
experience or evidence.
8) What is the main idea of “Classifying”
Classifying is the process of grouping together items that are alike in some way.
9) What is the main idea of “Making Models?”
Making models involves creating representations of complex objects or processes.
10) What is the main idea of “Working in Life Science?”
Life science is the study of living things.
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
3
Name __________________________________ Date ___________________________ Per ___________
a) 7th Grade Science Process Reading
(Section 2: p.14 “Scientific Inquiry”)
b) Sponge Bob Worksheets
Scientific Method
Controls and Variables – Part 1
Name __________________________
SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals have been busy doing a little research.
description for each experiment and answer the questions.
Read the
1 - Patty Power
Mr. Krabbs wants to make Bikini Bottoms a nicer place to live. He has created a new sauce that he
thinks will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty
Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. He has 50 of them (Group A) eat
crabby patties with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat crabby patties with sauce that looks just
like new sauce but is really just mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups were told that
they were getting the sauce that would reduce gas production. Two hours after eating the crabby
patties, 30 customers in group A reported having fewer gas problems and 8 customers in group B
reported having fewer gas problems.
Which people are in the control group?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be?
Why do you think 8 people in group B reported feeling better?
2 – Slimotosis
Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell
develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed
on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge
Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp.
After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.
What was the initial observation?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be?
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
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3 – Marshmallow Muscles
Larry was told that a certain muscle cream was the newest best thing on the market and claims to
double a person’s muscle power when used as part of a muscle-building workout. Interested in this
product, he buys the special muscle cream and recruits Patrick and SpongeBob to help him with an
experiment. Larry develops a special marshmallow weight-lifting program for Patrick and SpongeBob.
He meets with them once every day for a period of 2 weeks and keeps track of their results. Before
each session Patrick’s arms and back are lathered in the muscle cream, while Sponge Bob’s arms and
back are lathered with the regular lotion.
Which person is in the control group?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
Time
Initial
Amount
After 1
week
After 2
weeks
Patrick
SpongeBob
18
5
24
9
33
17
What should Larry’s conclusion be?
4 – Microwave Miracle
Patrick believes that fish that eat food exposed to
microwaves will become smarter and would be
able to swim through a maze faster. He decides
to perform an experiment by placing fish food in
a microwave for 20 seconds. He has the fish
swim through a maze and records the time it
takes for each one to make it to the end. He feeds
the special food to 10 fish and gives regular food
to 10 others. After 1 week, he has the fish swim
through the maze again and records the times for
each.
What was Patrick’s hypothesis?
Which fish are in the control group?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
Look at the results in the charts. What should Patrick’s conclusion be?
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
5
Scientific Method
Controls and Variables – Part 2
Name __________________________
SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals have continued doing a little research to solve some
problems. Read the description for each experiment and answer the questions.
Krusty Krabs Breath Mints
Mr. Krabs created a secret ingredient for a breath mint that he thinks will “cure” the bad breath people
get from eating crabby patties at the Krusty Krab. He asked 100 customers with a history of bad breath
to try his new breath mint. He had fifty customers (Group A) eat a breath mint after they finished
eating a crabby patty. The other fifty (Group B) also received a breath mint after they finished the
sandwich, however, it was just a regular breath mint and did not have the secret ingredient. Both
groups were told that they were getting the breath mint that would cure their bad breath. Two hours
after eating the crabby patties, thirty customers in Group A and ten customers in Group B reported
having better breath than they normally had after eating crabby patties.
1. Which people are in the control group?
2. What is the independent variable?
3. What is the dependent variable?
4. What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be?
5. Why do you think 10 people in group B reported fresher breath?
SpongeBob Clean Pants
SpongeBob noticed that his favorite pants were not as clean as they used to be. His friend Sandy told
him that he should try using Clean-O detergent, a new brand of laundry soap she found at Sail-Mart.
SpongeBob made sure to wash one pair of pants in plain water and another pair in water with the
Clean-O detergent. After washing both pairs of pants a total of three times, the pants washed in the
Clean-O detergent did not appear to be any cleaner than the pants washed in plain water.
6. What was the problem SpongeBob wanted to investigate?
7. What is the independent variable?
8. What is the dependent variable?
9. What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be?
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
6
Squidward’s Symphony
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.
10. What is the independent variable?
11. What is the dependent variable?
12. What should Squidward’s conclusion be?
13. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?
Super Bubbles
Patrick and SpongeBob love to blow bubbles! Patrick found some Super
Bubble Soap at Sail-Mart. The ads claim that Super Bubble Soap will
produce bubbles that are twice as big as bubbles made with regular bubble
soap. Patrick and SpongeBob made up two samples of bubble solution.
One sample was made with 5 oz. of Super Bubble Soap and 5 oz. of water,
while the other was made with the same amount of water and 5 oz. of
regular bubble soap. Patrick and SpongeBob used their favorite bubble
wands to blow 10 different bubbles and did their best to measure the
diameter of each one. The results are shown in the chart
14. What did the Super Bubble ads claim?
15. What is the independent variable?
16. What is the dependent variable?
17. Look at the results in the chart.
a. Calculate the average diameter for each bubble solution.
Super Bubble = ______ cm Regular Soap = ________ cm
b. What should their conclusion be?
18. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
7
Scientific Method
Bikini Bottom Experiments
Name ________________________
The Bikini Bottom gang loves science class and wanted to do a little research. Read the description
for each experiment and use your knowledge of the scientific method to answer the questions.
(1) Flower Power
SpongeBob loves to garden and wants to grow lots of pink flowers for his pal Sandy. He bought a
special Flower Power fertilizer to see if will help plants produce more flowers. He plants two plants of
the same size in separate containers with the same amount of potting soil. He places one plant in a sunny
window and waters it every day with fertilized water. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and
waters it with plain water every other day.
What did SpongeBob do wrong in this experiment? Explain.
What should SpongeBob do to test the effectiveness of Flower Power fertilizer? Write an experiment.
(2) Super Snails
Gary is not the smartest snail in Bikini Bottom and believes he can improve his brain power by
eating Super Snail Snacks. In order to test this hypothesis, he recruits SpongeBob and several snail
friends to help him with the experiment. The snails ate one snack with each meal every day for three
weeks. SpongeBob created a test and gave it to the snails before they started eating the snacks as well as
after three weeks.
Based on the data provided, do the Super Snail Snacks work? Explain
your answer.
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
8
(3) Bubble Time
Patrick loves bubble gum and would like to be able to blow bigger bubbles than anyone else in
Bikini Bottom. To prepare for the Bikini Bottom Big Bubble Contest, he bought five different brands of
bubble gum and needs your help to find the brand that creates the biggest bubbles. Write an experiment
to test the bubble power of the bubble gum brands and help Patrick win the contest.
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
9
c) Scientific Process Scenario Rubric
Assignment criteria: Use the textbook to create a scenario to illustrate the important parts of
a scientific experiment based on a well-known character of your choice. Post the final
product where your teacher has directed.
The Scientific Process Scenario rubric will be used by students to grade your scenario design.
Your scenario should include the terms independent variable, dependent variable, hypothesis,
data, conclusions, communicating.
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/controls.html
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/controls333.html (key)
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/scientific_method_action.html
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/scientific_method_action_key.html (key)
http://missazua.com/Site_2/Biology_HW_files/3%20%20SIMPSONS%20SCIENTIFIC%20METHOD%20WORKSHEET.pdf
Name of student scenario being evaluated ________________________________________________________
Stated in the Scenario
Hypothesis
Controlled Experiment
Manipulated
(independent) variable
Responding (dependent)
variable
Data Chart
Reader could draw a
conclusion
Clear presentation
Appropriate illustration
3 Points
Hypothesis is clear
Only one variable is and
is compared to a good
control group
Manipulated variable is
clearly stated
Responding variable is
clearly stated
Data is organized
A reader is able to draw
a conclusion based on
the results
Yes to both
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
2 Points
Not stated but can
be found
The control group
needs to be more
specific
Manipulated
variable is not clear
Responding
variable is not clear
Data is not clearly
organized
Vague or
inaccurate
conclusions
Yes to one but not
the other
1 Point
Hypothesis is not
developed
No control group
Manipulated variable
is not developed
Responding variable
is not developed
No data chart
A reader is not able
to draw a conclusion
The presentation is
not clear nor is the
illustration appropriate
10
Teacher Answer Keys for Sponge Bob Worksheets
Answer Key
1 - Patty Power
Which people are in the control group? Group B
What is the independent variable? New sauce
What is the dependent variable? Amount of gas
What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be? The new sauce appears to work as it reduced the amount of gas
produced in 60% of the people tested.
Why do you think 10 people in group B reported feeling better? They thought they were getting the new sauce as
a result thought that they didn’t have as much gas. (Placebo effect)
2 – Slimotosis
What was the initial observation? Slimotosis on Gary’s shell
What is the independent variable? Cures (Seaweed and Dr. Kelp)
What is the dependent variable? Slime and odor
What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be? Although Gary’s symptoms have disappeared, it is not known which
cure was the one that worked. He should redo the experiment and include a control group as well as two other
testing groups for each of the proposed cures.
3 – Marshmallow Muscles
Which person is in the control group? SpongeBob
What is the independent variable? Muscle cream
What is the dependent variable? Amount of marshmallows lifted (strength)
What should Larry’s conclusion be? Since both Patrick and SpongeBob improved their results by the end of two
weeks, it does not appear that the claims for the special muscle cream are true. If the claims were correct, we
should have seen Patrick’s amount double, but not SpongeBob’s amount. The improvements were likely a result
of Larry’s special workout.
4 – Microwave Miracle
What was Patrick’s hypothesis? He hypothesized that feeding fish microwaved food would make them become
smarter.
Which fish are in the control group? The fish that eat regular food
What is the independent variable? Microwaved food
What is the dependent variable? Time required to complete the maze
Look at the results in the charts. What should Patrick’s conclusion be? According to the data, all but two fish in
each group decreased their time through the maze. The special food does not appear to be a big factor in
helping fish become smarter.
Note: Of the fish that did improve their times, the fish that were fed the special food averaged a 9.625 seconds
decrease in their times compared to an average decrease of 6.625 seconds in the fish group that received the
regular food. This does show a slight improvement for the microwaved food group, but not enough to prove that
his hypothesis was correct. More testing would need to be done.
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
11
Answer Key
Krusty Krab Breath Mints
1. Which people are in the control group? The people who received the mint without the secret ingredient
(Group B) would be the control group.
2. What is the independent variable? Secret ingredient in the breath mint
3. What is the dependent variable? Amount of breath odor (or bad breath)
4. What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be? The breath mint with the secret ingredient appears to reduce the
amount of breath odor more than half the time, but it is not 100% effective.
5. Why do you think 10 people in group B reported fresher breath? This may be due to the placebo effect.
Sponge Bob Clean Pants
6. What was the problem? SpongeBob’s pants were not clean.
7. What is the independent variable? Laundry soap
8. What is the dependent variable? Amount of dirt left on the pants (or how clean the pants were)
9. What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be? Clean-O laundry soap does not appear to be effective in cleaning
his pants.
Squidward’s Symphony
10. What is the independent variable? Instrument
11. What is the dependent variable? Number of jellyfish
12. What should Squidward’s conclusion be? The clarinet did seem to attract a large number of jellyfish, but
the average number for the three trials also matched the average for the guitar. The flute attracted the least
number of jellyfish, but the average for this category is still larger than the control. Music seems to attract
jellyfish in greater numbers than when no music is played. Squidward’s hypothesis that the clarinet attracts
larger numbers of jellyfish than other instruments is not proven by this experiment alone.
13. Are the results reliable? Based on the limited amount of information provided, it is difficult to tell if
Squidward’s results are reliable. The description did not tell how long each break was between trials. Did he
leave enough time for the jellyfish to “clear out” of the area? (NOTE: Accept other potential flaws that
students can support.)
Super Bubbles
14. What did the Super Bubble ads claim? The ads claimed that the Super Bubble solution would produce
bubbles that were twice as large as those made with regular bubble soap.
15. What is the independent variable? Type of bubble solution
16. What is the dependent variable? Size (diameter) of the bubble
17. a. Calculate the average diameter for each. Super Bubble = 15.1 cm Regular Soap = 11.5 cm
b. What should their conclusion be? The Super Bubble solution did not seem to produce bubbles that were
twice as large as those made with the regular soap. Although the average size for the Super Bubble
solution was larger than the average size for the regular soap, it was not “twice as large” as the ads
claimed. In fact, only two of the ten trials had results that would fit the ads claims.
18. Are the results reliable? Why or why not? The description does not say who blew the bubbles for each
solution. There may be differences in bubble sizes due to the person blowing the bubble rather than the bubble
solution. They might have considered having each person blow 5 bubbles with each solution. (NOTE: Accept
other potential flaws that students can support.)
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
12
Scientific Method
Bikini Bottom Experiments
Answer Key
(1) Flower Power
SpongeBob loves to garden and wants to grow lots of pink flowers for his pal Sandy. He bought a
special Flower Power fertilizer to see if will help plants produce more flowers. He plants two plants of
the same size in separate containers with the same amount of potting soil. He places one plant in a sunny
window and waters it every day with fertilized water. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and
waters it with plain water every other day.
What did SpongeBob do wrong in this experiment? Explain.
SpongeBob did not provide both plants with the same amount of water and sunshine. In order to test the
fertilizer correctly, both plants should have been placed in the sunny window and watered every day with
the same amount of water. The only difference between the two plants should have been the fertilizer one plant would be watered with the water with fertilizer and the other would be watered with plain
water.
(What should SpongeBob do to test the effectiveness of Flower Power fertilizer? Write an experiment.
Answers will vary. Experiments should address the problems in SpongeBob’s experiment.
(2) Super Snails
Gary is not the smartest snail in Bikini Bottom and believes he can improve his brain power by
eating Super Snail Snacks. In order to test his hypothesis, he recruits SpongeBob and several snail friends
to help him with the experiment. The snails ate one snack with each meal every day for three weeks.
SpongeBob created a test and gave it to the snails before they started eating the snacks as well as after
three weeks. Analyze the data in the chart and determine whether or not the Super Snail Snacks created
smarter snails!
Based on the data provided, do the Super Snail Snacks work? Explain your answer.
The Super Snail Snacks appear to have worked for Gary and Barry. Both of them increased their test
results after eating the snacks for three weeks. Larry did not show any improvement and Terry scored
lower on his second test. However, it is difficult to determine if the Super Snail Snacks are an effective
way to increase a snail’s brain power based on this experiment alone as all the snails ate the snacks (no
control group). The gains shown by Gary and Barry may have been due to the Super Snail Snacks, but
further testing would be needed to make sure the results were not due to other factors.
(3) Bubble Time
Patrick loves bubble gum and would like to be able to blow bigger bubbles than anyone else in
Bikini Bottom. To prepare for the Bikini Bottom Big Bubble Contest, he bought five different brands of
bubble gum and needs your help to find the brand that creates the biggest bubbles. Write an experiment
to test the bubble power of the bubble gum brands and help Patrick win the contest.
Answers will vary. Students should make sure to perform the same test with each brand in order to obtain
reliable results. Repeated trials would generate more data to analyze and help Patrick pick the best
bubble gum brand for the bubble blowing contest.
Extension Idea: Provide an opportunity for the students to try their bubble gum tests!
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe 2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Columbus City Schools
Curriculum Leadership and Development
Science Department June 2013
13