Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Scientific Method




Students in the 2/3 classroom are getting hands-on experience using the scientific method. We started our science experiment after learning and reading about the different steps scientists use when trying to determine an answer to a question:

Ask a question
Do background research
Construct a hypothesis
Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment
Analyze your data and draw a conclusion
Report your results (Was your hypothesis correct?)

Although I have guided the learning, I have let the students devise their own experiments. Children could work with a partner or on their own (although each person is required to do the written lab report). Then they needed to come up with a problem or question they could ask about bean plants and types of water. Some children used 3 types of water, and some used only two. Rain water from our water barrel, distilled water, and our homemade "acid rain" could be used as variables. Each child came up with a hypothesis and now we wait and document the results!

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