getting started warm up handout learning goal handout. –take out the handout titled “ biology...

Getting Started

• Warm Up Handout• Learning Goal handout.

– Take out the handout titled “Biology Learning Goal Scientific Method”

• Notebook

Take My Word For It• The Earth is the center of the universe.• The sun revolves around the Earth.• All matter is made up of 4 elements: fire, water, earth, & air.• Bowling balls fall faster than basketballs because they are heavier.• The Vietnam war was about preventing the spread of communism.• Hugo Chavez was a dictator.• High-fructose corn syrup is a safe alternative to sugar.

– So is saccharine, and Nutrasweet, and sucralose, and dextrose

• Sadaam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.• Milk is just as safe today as it was 50 years ago.• GMO’s pose no threat to your health.• 7-up is made with 100% “all natural” ingredients.

• What do all these have in common?• Highly debated statements that have been delivered to people as

fact.

Warm Up Discussion Answers

• The world was once thought to be flat. Discuss with a partner the following questions and answer:

1.Why did people believe this?2.What caused some to not believe this?3.What is it about people that causes

someone to reject popular thoughts?4.Is this behavior good or bad for

society?

Using A Scientific Approach• Learning Objectives:

– Define & describe the steps in the scientific method.

– Explain the groups and variables in a controlled experiment.

– Compare and contrast scientific theories and scientific laws.

– Define & explain the importance of models in science.

• Performance Objective:– At the end of class you will have completed a

flow chart outlining the scientific method. Your job is to know all the steps of the scientific method and be able to identify these in varying scenarios as well as be able to set up an experiment that utilizes all these steps.

The Learning Objectives are here to identify the main concepts you are to know by the end of

this lesson.

The Performance Objectives are here to identify the activity you will do to ensure

you know it & I can be sure you are working towards reaching a “3” on the learning scale. You accomplish mastering the

learning objectives by doing the performance objectives.

Using A Scientific Approach•Vocabulary:

– Scientific method– Observation– Hypothesis– Control group– Experimental group – Dependent variable– Independent variable– Scientific theory– Scientific law– Model

• The Scientific Method is a step-by-step approach to problem solving.

• Used correctly, the scientific method can help you solve problems of all sorts, from personal to physical.

The Scientific Method

Your 1st “Handout” (like I have on the board). Fill it in as we go. Refer

to the back board…

Make a claim

Empirical science is attributed to Aristotle,

however Muslim scientists in the 10th – 14th centuries (most notably al-Haytham) were the first ones to

use the basic approach to problem

solving.

Using A Scientific Approach

•Scientific Method:– It is an organized plan for gathering,

organizing, and communicating information

• The goal of scientific methodology is to solve a problem or to better understand

an observed event.• The strength of the method is that, if

done right, the solution is highly credible as opposed to merely opinion.

For notes: Write down the

underlined portion!

Beginning a Scientific Investigation

– Observation is the act of noting or perceiving objects or events using the senses.

– Observation takes interest and patience.

– It takes care but a desire to know WHY?

What the…

• The 1st Step…• Observation: is information

that you obtain through your senses.

Using A Scientific Approach• Observations lead to questions.

– You see lightning in a storm.– You might wonder, “What temperature is it?”– An apple hits you in the head as you sit under it.– You ponder, “Why do apples fall?”– You can’t eat raw eggs so you cook them.– You ask, “Why do eggs become solid when they are

boiled?”– Soaps come in all colors.– But you notice, “Why does soap always lather white

even though it comes in a bunch of other colors?”– The genes for hair are all the same.– But you ask, “Why is some hair brown and other

hair red?”– You get a candy bar from the store.– You say, “Dang this chocolate's good! I wonder

why?”

Using A Scientific Approach• Making observations leads to questions.• The 2nd Step…• Form a Hypothesis:

– A hypothesis is a possible answer to a question that CAN BE SCIENTIFICALLY TESTED!• In other words, A hypothesis is a prediction

that can be tested by observation or experimentation.

• A hypothesis is NOT JUST AN EDUCATED GUESS!

– It is useful to make create a hypothesis as an ‘if… then… because…’ statement.

Scientific Method: Hypothesis

•Hypothesis examples…•Which is best?

– Chocolate is sweet b/c of sugar.– Candy is sweet because it makes

me happy.– If I take sugar out of a chocolate

recipe then the resulting candy will not be as good because sugar makes the chocolate good.

Examine the Hypothesis

• What are parts of a good hypothesis?…

Some thing that’s tested

Compared to something that’s known

The prediction

The measurable outcome

If I take sugar out of a chocolate recipe then the resulting candy will not be as good because sugar makes the chocolate good.

• The 3rd Step…• Design & Conduct a Controlled

Experiment:• A controlled experiment is one that is

designed so that only one variable is changed at a time.– What is a variable?

• It’s a factor or value that can change or has multiple values.

• Experiments come in all shapes & sizes:– Trials, taste tests, competitions, simulations,


Using A Scientific Approach• Good Experiments have TWO Groups• Group #1• Control Group:

– This group has expected results– This group is the predictable standard– Ex. Chocolate candy bar made from the

original recipe…you know how the chocolate is going to taste.


• Group #2• Experimental Group:

– This group has the ONE and only ONE variable changed (related to the hypothesis) to cause a measurable change different from the control group.

– Ex. Chocolate that has been made w/out sugar…you aren’t really sure how the chocolate is going to taste but you’re pretty sure

Controls

• A CONTROL can be challenging to figure out.• The thing to remember about controls is that

they need to exist for comparison purposes.• If your experiment is testing one thing

changing, like the chocolate recipe, this is easy to decide.

• When you are comparing several unknowns, this can be a little more difficult to decide…

The Variables

• The thing that is being tested in an experiment is called the independent variable.– This is sometimes called the manipulated

variable.– A special aspect of the scientific method is

that one controlled experiment has only 1 independent variable.

– Remember, the independent variable is the ONE thing being tested in an experiment.

Using A Scientific Approach• On experimentation variables…

– Experiments have variables.– Independent Variables (aka manipulated

variables) are changes that are directly caused by the experimenter (you.)

• Ex. Amount of sugar added to candy• This is the thing that is stated in the hypothesis.• It will generate data = dependent variables.

– Dependent Variables (aka responding variables) are changes that occur due to independent variables.

• These are the values that can be measured!• Ex. Candy is not as good b/c of lack of sugar

Identify The Control• Hypothesis: If I feed a fish four times a

day it will grow bigger than a fish fed twice a day because food causes organisms to grow.

• Experiment: One tank of gold fish is fed the normal amount of food once a day, a second tank is fed twice a day, and a third tank four times a day during a six week study. The fish’s weight is recorded daily.

• What is the control?• The fish that’s fed once a day.• Why? This is the baseline measurement.

Everything else compared to this would be a change.

• What would be the independent & dependent variables?

Identify Control GroupHypothesis: If we use broadleaf weed killer, then the dandelions will die.• Experimental Control:

– You have two flower beds that are exactly the same, they both contain the same type of dandelion, a broadleaf weed.

– The bed on the left is watered everyday.– The bed on the right is watered everyday and sprayed with weed killer

everyday.• This is the one thing that’s changed.

– Eventually the dandelion in the bed on the right dies.– Which bed of flowers is the control group? 1 minute with partner.

BothWatered normally

Same SoilSame Sunlight

Weed Killer AddedThis is the only thing different

Using A Scientific Approach• The Payoff For Having 2 Groups• The essential part of good scientific

investigation lies in the comparison between the 2 groups.

• The differences between the two gives data that is used to defend claims.

Control Group

Experimental Group

Compare

Control Group

Experimental Group

Compare

Expected Results

Experimental Results

The difference between the two = evidence that is used

to defend claims!

Identify Control GroupHypothesis: If we use broadleaf weed killer,

then the dandelions will die.• Experimental Control:

– Why this becomes a good experiment is because there is only 1 variable changed, the weed killer.

BothWatered normally

Same SoilSame Sunlight

Weed Killer AddedThis is the only thing different

Which is the Control,Which is the Experimental?

Kisses Batch #1, Normal Kisses Batch #2, No Sugar

What is the Independent Variable?What will be the Dependent Variable?What difference do we hope to get?

1 minute with partner


• What would be a good test for my chocolate hypothesis?

• In this case we could make a few batches of chocolate and have people taste test it.

• The 4th Step:• Data is created & analyzed to draw

conclusions.– You will need to take a look at data to

make a decision on what it tells you.



• Gathering Data• In the case of all experiments, the most

important step is to gather reliable data.– Data is any information from your

experiment that you collect.• Can be numbers or polls or other.• Quantitative = Numbers• Qualitative = Descriptions

Data

• There are several aspect of data that must be taken into account:– It must be accurate & precise as possible.– There must be enough data. (“In Triplicate”)

• In this example, there will be 3 trials ran.

– It must not be biased.• = shouldn’t be employed or paid by Hershey

– It must be neat.


• What does the data tell you?• For our example with the chocolate

we will gather tables of the preference between the control and experimental groups.

• If we have taken enough reliable, accurate, unbiased data then we should be able to make a decision.

Chocolate Taste TestsDecision: does our data support our

hypothesis?

Trial Data: out of 100

A B

Trial 1 95 5

Trial 2 75 25

Trial 3 85 15

Poll

op

inio

n #

Vote

sW

hic

h c

hoco

late

is

sweete

r

Chocolate A B A B A BTrial 1 2 3

A = SugarB = No Sugar

– If I take sugar out of a chocolate recipe then the resulting candy will not be as good because sugar makes the chocolate good.

Using A Scientific Approach• Drawing Conclusions:• When drawing a conclusion we must consider the

hypothesis. What was the hypothesis? – If I remove Sugar from a recipe then it will not be as good.

• If your conclusion supports the hypothesis then you have performed one good experiment.– You could compare with similar tests, run another test, or

repeat the same test over to be sure.

• If you conclusions do not support the hypothesis then you must revise your experiment and test a new variable.– How would this happen?– Maybe cocoa actually is the sweetening agent.


• Usually one experiment isn’t enough to draw a definitive conclusion so multiple trials should be ran with the same experiment.– In our case we should run several trials,

repeating the experiment exactly with different polls.

– The data should be illustrated in a graph to help interpret the results.

BREAK DOWN THE STEPS…

Control GroupPredictable standard = the group where you expect the results!

Experimental GroupExactly the same as the control group except for one thing…the independent variable.

What are the two groups in the experiment?

You measure the dependent variables in the experiment.

What Could Happen:

Option 1: the data doesn’t support the hypothesis.

What Could Happen:

Option 1: the data does support the hypothesis.

After the Conclusion

•The Last Step… options here.•After validating a hypothesis several times

you can come to a conclusion.•This is also called “making a claim”.

– In our case we could claim that sugar makes chocolate sweet.

•But one study usually isn’t enough.•A good scientist will retest multiple times

testing a variety of similar hypotheses.

Make A Claim

Developing a Theory:

• After validating many similar hypotheses you then come up with a theory that explains the result of your experiments.

• A scientific theory is a well tested explanation for a set of observations or experimental results.

Make a claim

Scientific Theories

• One drawback to theories is that scientific theories are never completely proven.

• Ex: The theory of relativity• Ex: The theory of evolution• Ex: The theory that chocolate is the

best candy on Earth.

Using A Scientific Approach•Scientific laws

– Scientific laws are patterns in nature that don’t need to be proven.

– summarizes an observed pattern found in nature without needing to explain it anymore (it’s a constant – like death and taxes). The explanation of such a pattern is provided by many scientific theories.

– Law of Gravity - Newton– Law of Thermodynamics - Hess– Law of Electricity - Ohm– Conservation of mass - Lavoisier

CheckPointDescribe what the difference is between

scientific hypotheses, theories, & laws.• Hypotheses are narrow

– They are reasonable predictions to answer questions for observed singular events

• Theory is a well tested explanation for patterns observed in nature based upon many related hypotheses.– Theory of evolution = change happens over time

• A law describes patterns in nature – A law doesn't need testing or validation anymore– The law of gravity.

Scientific Models• After you prove a law, make a claim, or develop a

theory, you should make a model to represent the concept.

• What is a Model?• Scientific models are physical or mental

representation of an object or an event• What is the Purpose of a Scientific Model?• Models make it easier to understand things that

are very complex, very large, very small or difficult to observe directly.

– By illustrating the theory/law/phenomenon in 2- or 3-D

Make a claim Model

Scientific Models• Example: When

designing a new airplane the designer will often make a computer model demonstrating how the airplane should handle air current.

• What would be a model for:– The solar system?– The earth’s rotation?– Water cycle?– An atom?– Macroeconomics? Just

kidding….

Scientific Models

Make a claim Model

Overview

Practice Put the steps below in order…

1. Analyze the data2. Create a hypothesis3. Draw conclusions4. Perform the experiment5. Observe the phenomenon.6. Collect the data7. Do some background

research.8. Ask questions.9. Design a controlled

experiment.10.Make a claim.

5. Observe8. Ask questions7. Do some research2. Create hypothesis9. Design experiment4. Experiment 6. Collect data1.Analyze data3. Draw conclusions10. Make a claim

Conclusion

• Questions…• On your warm-up page, grade your

learning score & state at least one thing you learned…

• How do you feel you progressed?• Show me with fingers.

On the topic of OBSERVATIONS: Be careful, objects can be confusing and individual objects are really dependent upon their

surroundings and your perspective.…

YOUR EYES ARE STUPID: http://youtu.be/dJyvcNmYwr4

http://youtu.be/dJyvcNmYwr4

Follow the dots.

Now stare at the cross.

A Problem with Perspective…There’s A Man In Here, But Where?

Facts Can Be Manipulated to Reach Different Conclusions.

Count How Many People Are in the Picture

Clouds Are Beautiful

Observe the Facts• Read:• Christie comes into class and sits in her regular

seat in the front row. The teacher walks in, writes his name on the chalkboard, picks up the attendance book, and calls out the students' names to see who is present. Then he points to Christie and says, "If anyone has any assigned homework from last night, please give it to this girl now.“

• Name all you observe from the following scenario?• What is the situation?

Answer• From the facts, you can infer that the

teacher is a substitute teacher. – Why? He wrote his name, probably because the

students didn't know who he was. If he were the regular teacher, he'd probably have known Christie's name and not called her "this girl." And he's unsure if students had homework from the day before, probably assigned by their regular teacher.

• Without all the facts it’s hard to make decisions…so we need to ask questions.

SampleHomer notices that his shower is covered in a strange green slime. His friend

Barney tells him that coconut juice will get rid of the green slime. Homer decides to check this out by spraying half of the shower with coconut juice. He sprays the other half of the shower with water. After 3 days of "treatment" there is no change in the appearance of the green slime on either side of the shower.

1. What was the initial observation?2. What is Barney’s hypothesis?Identify the-

3. Control GroupThe shower side sprayed with water4. Independent VariableThe shower side sprayed with coconut juice5. Dependent VariableNone…But what would it be if this was a successful experiment?6. What should Homer's conclusion be? That the coconut juice does not work on the slime. Barney’s crazy.

You have a problem…

"Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," said Ben Franklin. But does this adage apply to teenagers? Research in the 1990s found that later sleep and wake patterns among adolescents are biologically determined; the natural tendency for teenagers is to stay up late at night and wake up later in the morning. This research indicates that school bells that ring as early as 7:00 a.m. in many parts of the country stand in stark contrast [the start times contradict] with adolescents' sleep patterns and needs.

Evidence suggests that teenagers are indeed seriously sleep deprived. A recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 60% of children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, according to their parents, and 15% said they fell asleep at school during the year.”

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/school-start-time-and-sleep

How Would You Prove It?

• High school starts early in the morning but there are highly educated researchers that claim that if high school was started just 1.5 hours later students’ scores and health would increase.

• In your groups develop a good strategy that you could use to help prove that sleep does in fact help students in their studies.

• You will have 5 minutes then we will discuss.

Practice with Scientific Method• Objectives:• Identify aspects (hypotheses, controls,

variables, conclusions) of the scientific method. – Whole class = Simpson’s examples

• Identify aspects of the scientific method in groups. – SpongeBob Worksheet– 25pts.

• Mythbusters– Watch & critique an experiment conducted by the

team identifying how well they followed the scientific method.

The Scientific Method• Every day you most likely experience something that

makes you wonder…– Why?– How?

• Sometimes you may not believe something someone tells or sells you.– A positive behavior called skepticism.

• If you can’t look up the answer how would you find a solution?

• What technique could you use to try and get the answer?

• The most highly effective technique you could use is the one that has been used by scientists for thousands of years….

getting started warm up handout learning goal handout. –take out the handout titled “ biology...

Documents