Lesson+Plan+5+-+Scientific+Method

** Grade level: **9-10  ** Concept covered in activity: **This lesson will cover the scientific method using an experiment conducted on // Plodia interpunctella // as a model.  ** Colorado State Science Standards (2010) ** Standard 2 - Life Science  1.a Analyze how energy flows through trophic levels  1.c Analyze and interpret data from experiments on ecosystems where something has been added or withdrawn from the environment  2.a Analyze and interpret data about the impact of removing keystone species from an ecosystem  ** Learning Objectives: **Students will be able to…  ** Focus Question: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Based on what you learned about the Carbon Cycle last class period, diagram what the Carbon Cycle looks like in the environment around where you live. Be sure to include the main carbon reservoirs in the environment, and the main processes that drive the cycle. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Materials: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Teacher Preparation for Lesson: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Be sure to go through PowerPoint to familiarize yourself with the material before the class starts. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Procedure/activity: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-While class work on this in their notebooks, have one table group (2-4 students) diagram their carbon cycle on the front white board instead of in their notebooks. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-When student finish up their drawing, have them compare their own drawing to the one that was drawn on the front board. Make any additions or corrections that are needed to the one on the board, and discuss the process with the class. // Are all the essential elements to the cycle shown? What is missing? How does this cycle compare to the carbon cycle we drew with our groups from last class period? // || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-have each group work together to write out all the steps of the scientific method that they can think of, numbering each step on the note card on the front side. On the front side of the note card, they write down the name of the step. Have each group agree on the steps before continuing. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">- Put up the first step on the board (write on white board or overhead) along with the question; // What do you need to know before you can begin to design an experiment? //  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">- If students are struggling, give your own definition for them after they have attempted it on their own. <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Do background research ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">- **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Have each group discuss the step, and write their own definition on the back of the note card <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-Do this for each step of the scientific process <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">What will you be testing? // <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Formulate a question <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Make a hypothesis // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">How specifically will you answer your question? // <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Test hypothesis // What does it mean to be objective? What about empirical? (*Empirical means that the data is descriptive or numerical) // <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Analysis // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">What does it mean to be conclusive about something? // <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Conclusion // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">What if there is no definitive conclusion drawn from your experiment? // <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 12.6pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -12.6pt;"> · Repeat // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Why would you need to repeat your experiment? // // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">What would be gained by doing this? // // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> How does new science knowledge become accepted as part of the “body of science knowledge?”  // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-After students have completed all steps to the scientific method on their note cards, have them staple them all together in the correct order, making a flip-book <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">(This flip book can be a great tool for them to use for studying!) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-Collect the flip-books for credit, and return them to the students for future use || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-Students should be taking notes on what the experiment was about, how it was conducted and what the results were <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-Have students answer the various questions that are posed during the PowerPoint in their notebooks with their notes <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-At the end of the presentation, the last slide asks the students to write a conclusion to the experiment, have students write their conclusion on a separate sheet of paper to be turned in as a formative assessment. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Title of Activity: Scientific Method  **
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; 0in margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Identify the components of the scientific method
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; 0in margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Plodia interpunctella //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">PowerPoint
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; 0in margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">250 note cards
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Engage ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Have students answer the focus question individually in their notebooks.
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Explain ** || ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Divide class into groups of 2-3, and hand out ~10 note cards per group  **
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">you have to know something about the subject before you can begin testing it
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">You also need to know what questions there still are about a scientific phenomenon (things that scientists haven’t figured out, or someone hasn’t studied, or for which there are contradictory findings).
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">question should become the central purpose for the experiment
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">should ask a scientific question that is testable
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">This is an important step in any type of inquiry activity (regardless of which subject area you are studying—English, History, Science): How do you construct a meaningful question?** // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">- // **// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">After you have come up with the question, how will you go about answering it?  //
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">use background knowledge to formulate the conjecture, in other words, rephrase your question as a prediction. Scientists often have MULTIPLE ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES and test each one systematically
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">Determine WHAT TYPE OF DATA will enable you to ACCEPT or REJECT your hypothesis.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">data collection phase
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">all tests should be objective and empirical
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">interpret the results to see if there were any conclusive results from your testing . You must first determine HOW you will analyze results even before you collect the data so you are prepared as you record data in a user-friendly manner.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">Make inferences based on the data—explain the data as it relates to your hypothesis
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">use the results and analysis to draw a scientific conclusion from
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">often the conclusion is not definite and leads to new questions.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">discuss errors and future testing that can be done to control for other variables.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">if there are any conclusions drawn from the experiment, the results must be repeated in a similar experiment by the same scientists and often by others.
 * <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; 0in margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;">think of any further tests that could be done to further solidify the conclusions drawn from the experiment
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Explore ** || ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">After completing the review of the scientific method, start PowerPoint presentation on the // Plodia interpunctella //experiment  **
 * ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Evaluate ** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">-At the end of the presentation, the last slide asks the students to write a conclusion to the experiment, have students write their conclusion on a separate sheet of paper to be turned in as a formative assessment  ||