This lesson describes some of the crucial steps in conducting an experiment in the early stages.

1. November Focus
Writing a Title Page, Purpose, Hypothesis,
Materials List, Procedures & Variables

2. Is there a relationship between air
temperature and cricket’s chirping?
● Scientific inquiry – the diverse ways in which
scientists study the natural world and propose
explanations based on the evidence they
gather.

3. Title Page
What is your experiment about?
Be Creative!
Have Fun!
Let’s practice with the cricket
experiment...

4. Posing Questions
● Scientific Inquiry begins with a problem or
question about an observation
1. The Effect question:
What is the effect of ___________ on
___________?
sunlight
the growth of plants
eye color
pupil dilation
oil
a ramp
2. The How Does Affect Question:
How does the ___________ affect
_____________?
color of light
the growth of plants

5. Now its your turn:
● Create your science fair question using either
“Effect Question”, or the “How does Affect
Question”
What is the effect of air temperature on the
number of chirps a cricket makes?

6. Purpose Statement
Turn your experimental question
into your purpose statement
Let’s practice with the cricket
experiment...

7. Developing a Hypothesis
● A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set
of observations or answer to a scientific
question.
● It is not a fact, but instead, it is only one
possible way to explain a group of
observations.
● It must be testable. This means that
researchers must be able to carry out
investigations and gather evidence that will
either support or disprove the hypothesis.

8. Example of a Hypothesis
If crickets are placed in a 30 degree Celsius
environment, then their chirping rate will
increase by 25% .

9. Examples of Hypotheses
● If classical music is played while Wisconsin Fast Plants grow, then
the Wisconsin Fast Plants will grow taller to when rap, rock and
roll, or country is played.
● If the subject plays Halo 2 for 30 minutes, then his/her heart rate
will rise by 30%.
● If the color placed in front of the heat lamp is a dark color such as
the color black, then the energy absorbed will increase by eight
degrees Celsius when exposed to the energy source for 9 minutes.
● If the level of acetic acid in orange juice is reduced by 25%, then
the vitamin C content will not be altered.
● If channel depth is decreased on the wave’s amplitude, then the
amplitude of the wave will increase.

10. Now its your turn:
● Now it is time to PREDICT what you think will
happen if you test your problem. This type of
“SMART GUESS” or PREDICTION is what real
scientists call a HYPOTHESIS.
● How do you begin? Just answer this very simple
question:
What do you think will happen, (even before you
start your experiment)?
● Then, write the statement using the following
format:
● If ________________, then
____________.
● Include specifics by quantifying items within
this statement; percent, amount of, time, etc.
●How to Write a Hypothesis - Practice Worksheet

11. Materials
What type of supplies and equipment will you need to complete your science fair
project?
By making a complete list ahead of time, you can make sure that you have everything
on hand when you need it. Some items may take time to obtain, so making a materials
list in advance represents good planning!
Make the materials list as specific as possible, and be sure you can get everything you
need before you start your science fair project.
A Good Materials List Is Very Specific A Bad Materials List
500 ml of de-ionized water Water
Stopwatch with 0.1 sec accuracy Clock
Four (4) AA alkaline batteries Batteries

12. Materials: EXAMPLES
A Good Example of Materials List Is Very Specific
500 ml of de-ionized water
Stopwatch with 0.1 sec accuracy
Four (4) AA alkaline batteries
A Bad Example Materials List

13. Procedures
● Write the experimental procedure like a step-by-step recipe for your science
experiment. A good procedure is so detailed and complete that it lets someone else
duplicate your experiment exactly!
● Repeating a science experiment is an important step to verify that your results
are consistent and not just an accident.
o For a typical experiment, you should plan to repeat it at least ten times (more
is better) for each group (control and experimental).
o If you are doing something like growing plants, then you should do the
experiment on at least ten plants in separate pots (that's the same as doing the
experiment ten times).
o If you are doing an experiment that involves testing or surveying different
groups, you won't need to repeat the experiment ten times, but you will need to
test or survey a sufficient number of participants to insure that your results are
reliable. You will almost always need many more than ten participants!

14. Procedures
LET’S PRACTICE:
1. How to make a PB & J Sandwich
2. How to make an ice cream sundae

15. Variables
● To test your hypothesis scientists design an
experiment in such a way that an experiment
will yield results that will either support or
not support their hypothesis.
1. Controlling Experiments:
2. Setting up a Controlled Experiment
3. Forming Operational Definitions

16. Hypothesis = If crickets are placed in a 30
degree Celsius environment, then their chirping
rate will increase by 25% .
Independent variable = air temperature
Dependent variable = number of cricket chirps
Other variables to control = type of crickets,
type of container, type of thermometer used,
the time of day data is recorded.
Variables –
Step #1 = Controlling Variables

17. ● Controlled Experiment = an experiment in
which only one variable is manipulated at a
time
● Includes a control group = a group in which
not variables are changed; offering you the
ability to compare experimental groups to the
control groups.
Variables – Step #2
Setting up a Controlled Experiment

18. ● Operational Definition is a statement that
describes how to measure a particular variable
or define a particular term.
● For example, in the experiment with crickets,
one would need to determine what sounds will
count as a single “chirp”.
Variables – Step #3 =
Forming Operational Definitions