Mr' Perez Grade 6 Science

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Mr. PerezGrade 6 Science

• Ecology Unit
• Science Skills
• The Scientific Method

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Science Skills

• What are some important skills needed in science?
• Observing When you observe, you use your five
  senses (seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and
  touching). Pay close attention to everything
  around you.
• Measuring When you measure, you compare an
  unknown value to a known value (Ex Your foot is
  about 10 cm long). Measuring makes observations
  more exact. The metric system is used in
  Science.
• Inferring When you infer, you form conclusions
  based upon what you think explains your
  observation. Ex If you smell pancakes, eggs,
  and toast . . . You can infer that breakfast is
  being prepared.

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Science Skills

• Classifying When you classify, you group things
  based upon how they are alike. Ex
  metals/nonmetals, magnetic/nonmagnetic, etc.
• Organizing When you organize, you put things in
  order (starting with the first event or
  observation, and ending with the last event or
  observation)
• Predicting When you predict, you state ahead of
  time what will happen based upon what you already
  know. Ex You see dark clouds, so you predict
  it will probably rain.

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Science Skills

• Hypothesizing When you make a hypothesis, you
  state or suggest a solution to a problem based on
  what you already know. Ex I THINK that the
  water will boil when I place the beaker over the
  flame.
• Modeling When you model, you use a copy of what
  you are studying to help explain it. What is a
  model? It can be a 3-dimensional copy, a drawing,
  or a diagram.
• Analyzing When you analyze, you study
  information carefully. Review all of the
  information you have gathered. Then compare and
  contrast that information to what you already
  know. You might have to gather more information
  or conduct more research.

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The Scientific Method

• Scientists combine some or all of these science
  skills to solve different problems. Ex What
  would you do if a house plant was dying?
• You would probably check to see if the plant had
  the proper soil, water, and sunlight.
• When scientists conduct experiments, they use the
  scientific method as a model (or guide) to solve
  problems and get information.
• The scientific method does not need to be carried
  out in order, but we will follow a specific order
  in class when conducting labs
• Sometimes the wording in the steps will be
  different

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The Scientific Method

• Write it clearly as a question
• Ex Will fertilizer make plants grow taller
  and have more leaves?
• Research, ask questions (5 Ws Who, What,
  Where, When, Why and How). This is done to
  discover what is known already.
• A hypothesis is a suggested solution as to why
  something happens.
• Ex I think the fertilizer will make the
  test plant grow bigger.

State the Problem / State the Question Collect
/ Gather Information State / Form a Hypothesis
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The Scientific Method

• EXPERIMENT to check the hypothesis to see if it
  is correct or not
• Make observations. Use your senses (sight,
  sound, smell, taste, touch)
• Gather and LIST the data in order based on
  observations
• Explain the data. You must tell if the data
  supports the hypothesis. Remember, it will not
  always support it!

Design an Experiment (Test the Hypothesis) Make
Observations and Record Data Organize and
Analyze Data Write a Conclusion
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What Is an Experiment?

• The purpose of an experiment is to find out why
  things happen based on a hypothesis
• Once scientists have used the scientific method
  to order and design the experiment, they test out
  the hypothesis in an experiment
• If the experiment is conducted in a lab setting,
  the experiment is called a laboratory study
• If the experiment is conducted outdoors, the
  experiment is called a field setting
• Think about the experiments that you did for your
  Science Fairs in elementary school. Did you use
  the scientific method? What results did you
  find?

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Controlled Experiments

• In a controlled experiment, two setups are used
• BOTH setups are EXACTLY the same, EXCEPT
• One setup is left alone. This setup is called
  the control.
• The second setup has one thing that is changed.
  This setup is called the variable. This is the
  part of the experiment that is the test, or
  experimental setup.
• A variable is anything that can be changed in an
  experiment. Do not use more than one variable.
• Any differences in the results of the two setups
  will be due to the variable. Why? The variable
  is the ONE and only thing that was changed.

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Controlled Experiments

• The problem / hypothesis in this experiment is
  How does fertilizer affect plant growth?

Two plants of the same kind are placed in
identical pots. They are given the same amount
of water and light.
The control plant is left alone. Fertilizer is
added to the soil of the test plant. The
fertilizer is the variable.
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Controlled Experiments
At the end of the experiment, the plants are
measured. The number of leaves on each plant are
counted. The test plant is larger than the
control plant because it has many more leaves.
Conclusion The test plant grew taller and had
more leaves than the control plant. Both plants
had identical pots, soil, sunlight and water.
Therefore, the fertilizer caused the test plant
to grow taller (because the fertilizer was the
only variable in the experiment).