MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
501 N Gulkana Street
Palmer, Alaska 99645
Phone: 907-746-9212 Fax: 907-746-9292
www.matsuk12.us
MSBSD Middle School Experimental Design Lab
Outline/Guide
“The mission of middle school science is to provide developmentally
appropriate, standards-based middle level science instruction for our
students by connecting science content and process skills through an
inquiry based, student centered approach, so that they can apply
scientific habits of mind as successful, responsible participants in a
rapidly changing world.”
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has adopted the attached Experimental
Design Lab Outline based on the Alaska State Middle School Science Performance
Standards for Science as Inquiry and Process.
Using this method, students will develop an understanding of the processes of science
used to investigate problems, design and conduct repeatable investigations, and defend
scientific arguments.
The 2006-2007 Middle School Science Writing Team has agreed upon the following
format that is designed to be used as a guide/general format.
Title
Experimental Question
Hypothesis
Variables
Materials
Procedure
Data Table
Graph
Experimental Errors
Conclusion
Developed by MS Science Writing Team
June 2007
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Experimental Design Lab Outline/Guide
1. Title: This should be descriptive and fairly short.
2. Experimental question:
“What effect does
(Independent Variable- I.V.)
have on
(Dependent Variable- D.V.) ?”
3. Hypothesis:
“If _(How is I.V. changed?) , then
(How is D.V. affected?) , because (Explain why ).”
4. Variables:
Independent (manipulated) variable (graphed on X axis):___________________
Dependant (responding) variable (graphed on Y axis):______________________
Constants (what stays the same in every trial?):____________________________
5. Materials: List all materials you need to complete this lab (complete paragraph not
necessary.)
6. Procedure: A sequential list is better than complete paragraphs.
A. Describe each step
B. Repeat trials
C. Draw a diagram to help explain your experiment.
7. Data Table:
A. Separate the trials.
B. Use the following format:
Independent Variable (IV)
Dependent Variable (DV)
8. Graph
A. Use a simple yet descriptive title.
B. Label both axes with title and units. For example, “Time (sec.)”
C. Use an appropriate scale.
9. Possible Experimental Errors:
A. Identify possible sources of error or bias.
B. Explain how these errors or bias could have affected your results.
10. Conclusions:
A. Remember to restate your hypothesis: “The hypothesis was…..”
B. Discuss whether the data supports your hypothesis or not. (Use “supported” or “not
supported” instead of “right” or “wrong.”) How do you know? Discuss how the graph
shows your conclusion.
C. Make recommendations for future experiments. How could you improve this
experiment so the information would be more reliable? What related experiments
could you recommend to future researchers?
Developed by MS Science Writing Team
June 2007