The Scientific
Method and Your
Science Project
Each part of the scientific method will be
covered in class as well as the parts of the
science project. In the end all things will
be worked on at school except the
experiment phase.
Scientific Method
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The Scientific Method is a series of steps
scientists use to answer questions and
solve problems.
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You will use the scientific method to
conduct your science project—which
counts 300 points/3 test grades for 3rd qtr.
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Scientific Method song
Question Selection for Science Projects
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Pick a question that interests you & one that you can
find 3 facts to support.
If you cannot find the research/facts to support your
topic/hypothesis, then you cannot use that question for
your project.
Pick a question that is measurable with numbers. IT
CANNOT BE USED IF YOU CANNOT MEASURE IT.

Examples: plant growth = measurable
building a model (such as a volcano) = not
measurable
Questions that will be investigated
at school
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Which toilet paper is stronger—no brand or Angel Soft?
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Will rubber bands that are cold stretch farther than ones
that are at room temperature?
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Will the dissolving time of aspiring be faster in Sprite or
tap water?
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Which search engine is the faster one—Google or
Yahoo?
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All research and materials will be provided to complete
these projects at school. You can then use this
information to repeat the experiments at home by
changing the variable in the experiment.
Question selection
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Everyone must submit their question to be
investigated by Friday, August 22.
If you select one of the projects we are doing at
school, then submit the question in writing.
If you have a different question, then submit it
and how you will measure your data in writing
for approval.
Unless you are a master gardener, avoid
plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8 Steps
1.
Ask a Question—find something you are
curious about
2.
Purpose—why are you interested in answering
your question; who would care about what you
find out?
3. Research your question—find facts that inform
you about your question & help you make a
hypothesis
4. Form a Hypothesis—an educated guess based
on the facts you looked up
8 steps continued
5. Test the Hypothesis by Experimenting—use
your materials, write procedure while testing, do the
experiment, & record data—numbers of measurement)
6. Analyze Results—look at your data
7. Draw Conclusions—decide if you were correct
based on your data
8. Communicate Results
Pneumonic to remember the steps:
Queens probably rarely have egg and doughnut
cereal.
Queens—question
Probably—purpose
Rarely—research
Have—hypothesis
Egg—experiment
And—analyze data
Doughnut—draw conclusions
Cereal—communicate results
Ask a Question?/Come up with a
problem
Good questions come from good observations.
What do you want to know?
Example:
How does acid rain affect plant growth?
Will oak burn faster than balsa wood?
Will a frozen tennis ball bounce higher than a
room temperature tennis ball?
Purpose
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What’s the point in doing your project?
Pick a project that will be meaningful and helpful
to many people.
Bad example: Which ketchup brand comes out
of the bottle faster?
Good example: Which brand of toilet paper is
stronger—Charmin or Angel Soft?
RESEARCH
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You are looking for information that supports
your hypothesis.
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Research consists of information found in
the following places:
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Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Encyclopedias
Websites
Interviews of experts
Form A Hypothesis
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A hypothesis is a clear statement about what
you think will happen based on your
observations & research about your question.
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A hypothesis is an educated guess.
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Examples:

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A frozen tennis ball will bounce higher than a room
temperature tennis ball.
Acid rain will cause plants to grow more slowly than
tap water.
Test your Hypothesis
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Gather materials
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Perform your experiment many times
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Why? You have to make sure what you
found out is true and not just luck.
 Shaq

and free throws
Record data in data tables
Materials
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You should make a list of all materials
used in your experiment.
The list should be exactly what you used,
how many, what kind, how much, etc. and
must be numbered.
Example:
1. 12 Burpee lima bean seeds
2. 12 Duracell batteries, size AA
3. 5 pounds of Miracle-Gro potting soil
4. 12, 6 inch pieces of balsa wood
Performing Your Experiment
PROCEDURE
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All measurements should be precise—use the
same measurer and measuring device
throughout the experiment to avoid error.
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Conditions should be the same for all tests—
weather, heat, light, etc.
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You will have a control group and a variable
group, with 12 test subjects in each group.
Procedures: What are Controls &
Variables?
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Controls do not change—they are used for
comparison with the variables
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Variables change—they are the things
upon which you try different conditions
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Example: plants in grown in different soils
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Control=normal dirt
Variables: sand, clay
Procedures continued
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You need to write your procedure as you do it,
not 3 months later.
Example:
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1. Gather materials.
2. Label control and variables, 1-12.
3. Place a hole in the bottom of each cup using a
pencil.
4. Fill each cup with 500 ml of Miracle Gro potting
soil.
Procedures include taking
Photographs
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You will photograph your experiment using a digital camera or
disposable camera.
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You must have 20 photos of the project in progress.
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You must have at least 5 that do not have you in them—at least not
your face.
 These will go on your showboard.
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The other 15 should show you conducting your experiment and will
be glued into your logbook.
Recording Data
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Your data should be collected as soon as you get
results, this will vary depending on your project.
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You will use the metric system to take measurements.
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Examples:
 Meters/Centimeters
 Seconds
 Liters/milliliters
 Grams/Kilograms
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DO NOT USE INCHES, FEET, CUPS, POUNDS
as these are English units not metric units.
Recording Data in Metric Units
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The System International or Metric System
is used by scientists all over the world.
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Standard units of measurement: (You must
know these.)
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Length = meter
Volume (amount of liquid) = liter
Mass (weight) = gram
Time = second
Your measurements for your project
must be in metric units.
This is how you will record your data: Sample Data Table
TRIALS
Control: No
Fertilizer
Height in
Meters
Variable 1:
Miracle Gro
Height in
Meters
Variable 2:
Bone Meal
Height in
Meters
1
6m
8m
1m
2
7m
7m
2m
3
4m
9m
3m
4
5.5m
7m
4m
5
6m
11m
5m
6
8m
9m
6m
7
7.5m
8m
7m
8
4m
12m
8m
9
7m
10m
9m
10
5m
8m
10 m
11
9m
9m
11 m
12
4.5m
8m
12 m
Analyze Results
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Organize your data using graphs and tables
created on the computer—your teacher will
show you how in the computer lab.
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You must have 1 data table, 1 bar graph and
1 line graph.
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Each of these will be placed on your
showboard.
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Results must also include a paragraph that
states your results—there is a form in the
form section for these.
Draw Conclusions
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You will discuss whether or not your results
supported your hypothesis.
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Conclusions must include a paragraph that
states your conclusions—there is a form in
the form section for these.
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If your results do not support your
hypothesis, you need to try to explain what
could have happened in the experiments to
influence your results.
Communicate Results
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You will present your findings to the
class and discuss every aspect of your
project from start to finish.
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Your presentation will be in December or
January.
ABSTRACT
An abstract is an overview or summary of your project that
includes a brief restatement of all the previous parts.
• Problem
• Purpose
• Research
• Hypothesis
• Experimental Procedure
• Results
• Conclusions
• It is to be written in paragraph form, no more than 250
words. See form section for a form for this.
Showboard
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THE VERY LAST THING YOU WILL DO IS
ASSEMBLE YOUR INFORMATION ON YOUR
SHOWBOARD.
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These will be available for $10 from the school
starting in November.
YOU DO NOT have to buy one from school; just use
on that is standard size—nothing small. Other boards
are available all over town for $3 to $4.
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All information on it must be neatly typed in
Arial or Times New Roman font.
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It must be readable from at least 3 feet away.
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It should follow the same layout as the
picture of the sample showboard.
Showboard continued
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Graphs should have titles, and the y and x axes should be labeled.
X-axis is typically the Trial Number and the Y axis is the
measurement type and units.
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Example: Bounce Height in Centimeters or Average Plant Height
in Centimeters.
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Titles: All important words in titles should be capitalized. Titles
should also be very descriptive. Do not just pick a title at
random.
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Do not type in ALL CAPS—this is screaming on paper.
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Data tables should tell the reader what the numbers mean. Put
a heading at the top of the column to define the numbers.
Make sure you spell check and stranger check your project. Your
project and how you did it should be completed in enough detail that
a stranger could pick up your project and complete it start to finish
just as you did with only what is on your showboard.
TITLE—it describes the project
PROBLEM
PROCEDURES
RESULTS
PURPOSE
(BAR)
Graphs
(LINE)
CONCLUSIONS
HYPOTHESIS
DATA
TABLE
MATERIALS
Caption
Caption
A
B
C
1
2
3
Pictures
with
captions
underneath
Caption
ABSTRACT
Caption
Caption