Scientific Investigation: Unit Overview

Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic

4.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which a) distinctions are made among observations, conclusions, inferences, and predictions; b) hypotheses are formulated based on cause-and-effect relationships; c) variables that must be held constant in an experimental situation are defined; d) appropriate instruments are selected to measure linear distance, volume, mass, and temperature; e) appropriate metric measures are used to collect, record, and report data; f) data are displayed using bar and basic line graphs; g) numerical data that are contradictory or unusual in experimental results are recognized; and h) predictions are made based on data from picture graphs, bar graphs, and basic line graphs.

Day 1: The Scientific Method

Day 2: The Scientific Method

Soap Floats experiment

Essential Questions: What steps do scientists take when experimenting?

Mystery Substances experiment

Essential Questions: What steps do scientists take when experimenting?

Day 3:

Day 4: Day 6: Day 8: Day 10: Day 12:

Day 5: Day 7: Day 9: Day 11:

Science Lesson Plan

Unit/Day:Scientific Investigation: Day 1 Big Idea: What steps do scientists take when experimenting? Content Objective: Students will investigate which brands of soap float using the scientific method. Content Vocabulary: question, prediction/hypothesis, observation, inference, conclusion

Engage:

Pre-assessment: Give students the experiment questions: Which brands of soap float? Why? Students will be given 5 post-it notes. With their partner, they will write/draw the steps they would take to find a scientific answer to these questions. Experiment: With their partners, students will use the Soap Floats guided lab sheet to test which brands of soap float. Review Lab Sheet: Partners should share their results with the class using the following sentence frames: My partner and I predicted When we did our experiment, we observed that That made us think We concluded that Introduce Essential Questions: In our next few science lessons, we are going to try to find the answers to these questions: What steps do scientists take when conducting an experiment? Interactive Notebook: Students should glue the guided notes sheet into their science notebook. They will work with their partner to write what to do at each step of the scientific method.

Explore: Explain:

Extend/ Evaluate:

Name: _____________________ ____________________________________

Group Names:

Soap Floats (or does it?)

Ask a Question We want to know

Make a Hypothesis or a Prediction

What do you think the answer to your question is?

Make some Observations

Observation: Brand of Soap: ___________________ Smells like: __________________ Weight (circle one): Light Medium Heavy Texture (greasy? soft? smooth?): __________________ Other Observations:

Observation: Brand of Soap: ___________________ Smells like: __________________ Weight (circle one): Light Medium Heavy Make some Observations Texture (greasy? soft? smooth?): __________________ Other Observations: Observation: Brand of Soap: ___________________ Smells like: __________________ Weight (circle one): Light Medium Heavy Texture (greasy? soft? smooth?): __________________ Other Observations: Observation: Brand of Soap: ___________________ Smells like: __________________ Weight (circle one): Light Medium Heavy Texture (greasy? soft? smooth?): __________________ Other Observations: Conduct an Experiment Brand: _________________ Brand: _________________ Brand: _________________ Brand: _________________ Decide on a Conclusion Did it float? Did it float? Did it float? Did it float? Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N

Which brand(s) of soap floated?

Make an Inference: Why do you think some did float and some did not float?

Steps of the Scientific Method

With your partner, write a sentence about what a scientist would do at each step of the scientific method:

Question: A scientist would ________________________ __________________________________________. Prediction/Hypothesis: A scientist would ________________________ __________________________________________. Make Observations: A scientist would ________________________ __________________________________________. Make Inferences: A scientist would ________________________ __________________________________________.

Science Lesson Plan

Unit/Day:Scientific Investigation: Day 2 Big Idea: What steps do scientists take when experimenting? Content Objective: Students will investigate mystery substances using the scientific method. Content Vocabulary: question, prediction/hypothesis, observation, inference, conclusion

Engage: Explore:

Teacher show s mystery substances in numbered containers without revealing what they are. Teacher asks: How could we find out what these substances are? Students will discuss at tables. Share out ideas together. Experiment: Partners will be given Mystery Substances Lab Sheet. As a whole group, decide on a question to write in the first step. Partners will talk together and fill out the second step, designing an experiment. Students will conduct their experiment and record observations with their partners.

Explain:

Review Lab Sheet: Partners should share their results with the class using the following sentence frames: My partner and I predicted When we did our experiment, we observed that That made us think We concluded that

Extend/ Evaluate:

Scientific Method Terms Sort: Working with their partner, students should read and sort the steps of the scientific method with their descriptions.

Name: _____________________ ________________________________________

Group Names:

Mystery Substances
Ask a Question We want to know

Design an

What will you DO to find the answer to your question? First, we will _______________________________________________. Then, we will _______________________________________________.

Experiment

After that, we will _______________________________________________. Finally, we will _______________________________________________. Make a Hypothesis or a What do you think the answer to your question is?

Predicti on

Make some

Observations

Observation: When we _______________________, this is what happened (draw or write):

INFERENCE:
That makes us think

Observation: When we _______________________, this is what happened (draw or write):

INFERENCE:
That makes us think

Observation: When we _______________________, this is what happened (draw or write):

INFERENCE:
That makes us think

Observation: When we _______________________, this is what happened (draw or write):

INFERENCE:
That makes us think

Come to a Conclusion

Substance ____ is salt. Substance ____ is cornstarch. Substance ____ is vinegar.

Substance ____ is baking soda. Substance ____ is oil. Substance ____ is water.

Inference Question Experime nt

Make an educated guess.

A fair test designed to find an answer to a scientific question.

What you think is going to happen during the experiment.

Hypothesi s Prediction
Observations

Writing and drawing what you see, hear, feel, and smell during an experiment.

Scientists design an experiment based on a _______________. The answer to a scientific question, based on recorded observations and data.

Conclusio n

Your brain figures out something as you make observations during an experiment. (Example: I think substance A is vinegar because it smells funny.)

Science Lesson Plan

Unit/Day:Scientific Investigation: Day 3 Big Idea: What steps do scientists take when experimenting? Content Objective: Students will investigate whether Double Stuf Oreos actually
have double the stuffing.

Content Vocabulary: question/problem, prediction/hypothesis, observation, inference, conclusion

PreTeach:

On the smart board, give an overview for Metric length, weight, and capacity. Show students how to measure with these tools. Show students todays question/problem: Do Double Stuf Oreos actually have double the cream? Show students the materials they will be given: An oreo, a double stuf oreo, a ruler, a scale, and a graduated cylinder. Experiment: Partners will be given a lab sheet. Partners will work together to write down their question, make a hypothesis, plan an investigation, and conduct their experiment.

Engage: Explore:

Explain:

Review Lab Sheet: Partners should share their results with the class using the following sentence frames: My partner and I predicted When we did our experiment, we observed that That made us think We concluded that Discuss Tools Have students discuss with their table teams which tools were most useful for this experiment and why. Then, have a spokesperson from each table report to the class.

Extend/ Evaluate:

Science Lesson Plan

Unit/Day: Scientific Investigation: Days 4 & 5

SOL: 4.1 a, b, c, d

Unit Objectives: Students will Perform scientific investigations using the scientific method. Identify independent and dependent variables in an experiment. Use measuring tools to make observations. Record data in tables, bar, and line graphs. Content Objective: Students will investigate which paper airplane design travels the farthest, using the scientific method. Students will use measurement tools to make observations. Students will identify the dependent and independent variables in their experiment. Students will show their data in a table and a bar graph.
Language Objective L: Students will listen to their groupmates ideas and teacher instructions in order to plan a group experiment. Language Objective S: Students will describe the dependent and independent variable of an experiment to a partner. Language Objective R: Students will read headings and directions on their lab sheets in order to fill them out correctly. Language Objective W: Students will write their data in a table and bar graph. Students will write the independent and dependent variables of their experiment.

Content Vocabulary: question/problem, prediction/hypothesis, observation, inference, conclusion, independent / dependent variable, inches, feet

Pre-Teach Vocabulary

Use smart board lesson to pre-teach: Variable Independent vs. dependent variable Outcome Have students identify the independent and dependent variable in our soap lab. Have partners decide together, then use the sentence frames to describe the variables.

Engage: Explore:

Who has built a paper airplane before? Show students the tutorial for The Bomber and The Classic. Have all students attempt both. Give students the lab sheet. Have tables work on the question and the hypothesis. Which airplane will fly the farthest before dropping? Why do you think so? Planning Our Investigation: Explain to students that for their experiment, they will have: 1 paper airplane of each design An open space (hallway if raining, playground if not) A measuring tool (yardstick, tape measurer, or inch ruler) Allow students to plan their investigations in their small, heterogeneous groups. Revisit todays vocabulary objectives: I can find the dependent variables and independent variables in an experiment. Lets prove we can do it! With your group, look at your plans.

Day 1 Closing:

UNDERLINE your independent variable. Put a CIRCLE around your dependent variables. Share out with the class. Do we all have the same things underlined/circled? Independent: Stand at the same spot, throw the same way. Dependent: Different types of paper airplanes.

Explain:

Day 2:
Display todays objectives: I can use the scientific method to investigate which paper airplane can travel the farthest. I can make observations using measuring tools. I can show my information in a table and a bar graph. Explain that today, students should do their experiment and record their data in a table. When were done with our experiments, were going to turn our table into a bar graph to share. Show examples of the table and bar graph students will be using. While we experiment, we will fill out the TABLE. Afterward, we will use the table to make our BAR GRAPH.

Students will do their experiments and record data.

Extend/ Evaluate: Closing:

As students finish their experiments, they should work together to create a bar graph, fill in the dependent and independent variables, and fill in the sharing sentence frames. Revisit all of our goals for this experiment. Did we meet our goals this week? Have students discuss each goal and point out how we met it in the work we have completed. Check each goal off as we go.

Name: _________________________

Paper Airplane Experiment

Dependent Variable: _______________________________________________________ Independent Variables: ____________________________________________________

Science Lesson Plan

Unit/Day: Scientific Investigation: Days 4 & 5 SOL: 4.1 a, b, c, d
Unit Objectives: Students will Perform scientific investigations using the scientific method. Identify independent and dependent variables in an experiment. Use measuring tools to make observations. Record data in tables, bar, and line graphs. Content Objective: Students will estimate the lengths, weight, volumes and temperatures. Students will use a ruler, scales, beakers, and thermometers to discover if their estimates were close.
Language Objective L: Students will listen to their groupmates ideas and teacher instructions in order to plan a group experiment. Language Objective S: Students will define length, weight, volume, and temperature to a partner. Language Objective R: Students will read headings and directions on their lab sheets in order to fill them out correctly. Language Objective W: Students will write their measurement findings on their lab sheets. Students will write their definitions of length, weight, volume and temperature.

Content Vocabulary: length, weight, volume, temperature, estimate, measure, centimeters, meters, grams, milliliters, Fahrenheit

Pre-Teach Vocabulary

Review Length, Weight, Volume, and Temperature (taught in previous lesson) Have students hold up the measurement tools at their tables they would use to measure these things. Review centimeters, meters, grams, milliliters, and Farenheit (taught in previous lesson), finding their abbreviations on the tools.

Engage:

Students should work with a table partner to estimate the measures of the items on their papers, looking at the tools on their tables. Partners should be mid/high and low/mid. Split low/mid groups with Ms. Baylor to assist.

Explore:

Students will circulate to measurement stations in order to measure the items with their tools and see how close their estimations were. The last 5 minutes of each station should be spent discussing and writing the definitions of each type of measure (length, weight, volume,

temperature). Lab Sheet for IRL 3 and below: Provide sentence frames for
definitions Provide measurement abbreviations

Lab Sheet for IRL 4 and above: Students should write abbreviations Students will define measures in their
own words.

Explain:
Extend/ Evaluate:

Closing:

Review definitions with all students. Have partners switch so that students are comparing definitions with a new partner (heterogeneous groupings). On the smart board, have students work as a whole group to complete a measurement tools sort. Students will be given scientific scenarios and must choose the best measurement tool for the job and explain why. Revisit all of our goals for this experiment. Did we meet our goals today? Have students discuss each goal and point out how we met it in the work we have completed. Check each goal off as we go.

Name: ____________________________

Measurement Report

LENGTH: Which tool would we use:

Item: Paper clip Pencil Book Floor tile A groupmate:

Estimate: _________cm _________cm _________cm _________cm

_____ M and ______cm

Measure: _________cm _________cm _________cm _________cm

_____ M and ______cm

Length is when we measure how _________________ something is.

Weight:

Which tool would we use:

Item: Pencil Box of pencils Shoe Text Book

Estimate: _________g _________g _________g _________g

Measure: _________g _________g _________g _________g

Weight is when we measure how _________________ something is.

Volume: Which tool would we use:

Item: Pencil Eraser Pencil Crayon

Estimate: _________mL _________ mL _________ mL

Measure: _________ mL _________ mL _________ mL

Volume is when we measure how much _______________ something takes up.

Temperature: Which tool would we use:

Item: Room Temperature

Estimate: _________F

Measure: _________F

Warm Water Temp Cold Water Temp

_________F _________F

_________F _________F

Temperature is when we measure how __________ or __________ something is.

Name: ____________________________

Measurement Report

Length:
Length is ________________________________________________________ The measuring tool I use is _____________________________________ Item: Paper clip Pencil Book Floor tile A groupmate: Estimate: _________cm _________cm _________cm _________cm
_____ M and ______cm

Measure: _________cm _________cm _________cm _________cm

_____ M and ______cm

Weight:
Weight is _______________________________________________________ The measuring tool I use is _____________________________________ Item: Pencil Box of pencils Shoe Text Book Estimate: _________g _________g _________g _________g Measure: _________g _________g _________g _________g

Volume:
Volume is _______________________________________________________ The measuring tool I use is _____________________________________ Item: Pencil Eraser Pencil Crayon Estimate: _________mL _________ mL _________ mL Measure: _________ mL _________ mL _________ mL

Temperature:
Temperature is _________________________________________________ The measuring tool I use is _____________________________________ Item: Estimate: Measure:

Room Temperature Warm Water Temp Cold Water Temp

_________F _________F _________F

_________F _________F _________F

A scientist wanted to conduct an experiment to see which brand of bread at the grocery store gave you the most bread in one loaf. Which measurement tool would be the best for the job, and why?

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Unit/Day: Scientific Investigation: Days 4 & 5 SOL: 4.1 a, b, c, d

Unit Objectives: Students will Perform scientific investigations using the scientific method. Identify independent and dependent variables in an experiment. Use measuring tools to make observations. Record data in tables, bar, and line graphs. Content Objective: Students will show mastery of Scientific Investigations content by choosing correct answers to multiple choice questions during a review game.
Language Objective L: Students will listen to their partners thinking in order to restate and agree or disagree. Language Objective S: Students will explain why they have selected an answer to their partner, using our science notes. Language Objective R: Students will read multiple choice and TEI questions in order to answer them. Language Objective W: Not applicable to this lesson.

Content Vocabulary: length, weight, capacity, temperature, scientific method, question, prediction, hypothesis, inference, observation, conclusion, ruler, graduated cylinder, thermometer, scale

Objective

Share the objective with students: I am able to show that I understand the science content we have learned by choosing answers to multiple choice questions and explaining why I chose them. Today, we will be playing Multiple Choice Bingo. Explain the process to students: 1. Read the question on the smart board. 2. A/B partners take turns explaining answers and restating to agree or disagree.

Engage:

3. 4. 5. 6.

Place a bean on your chosen answer. Check with the teacher if you are right, leave your bean! Star questions are for TEIs. 5 in a row, column, or diagonal is a BINGO.

Explore/ Explain:
Extend/ Evaluate:

Students should be partnered High/Mid and Mid/Low. Play the game, monitoring student discussion. Take notes on student explanations (formative assessment).

Closing:

Using laptops, have students complete a Scientific Investigations assessment on Interactive Achievement. Revisit all of our goals for this experiment. Did we meet our goals today? Have students discuss each goal and point out how we met it in the work we have completed. Check each goal off as we go.