Science Fair Update: I will be adjusting the due date for the final draft of the materials and the procedures. The computer lab is closed for several weeks due to NWEA testing. I can't wait that long to make them due, but I am going to extend the date. Students will be allowed to come in during tutoring (starting next week), some lunches, recess, or possibly before school to type if needed. Students will still start their experiments as soon as they get their procedures returned and approved. The next due date in January, for all of the data collected, will remain the same.
7th Grade: There will be a Chemistry test on Thursday! Most of the material will cover our most recent topics (reactions, solutions, acids and bases), but there will be questions over everything we have covered this year. Everyone received a review sheet today that is over all of the new material. The best way to review the old material is to look over old tests and quizzes. The best idea is to focus on the big ideas, not individual questions. For example, don't focus on the ionic compounds in a test, but on what an ionic compound is and how to tell it from a covalent compound. We will have a class review on Wednesday. I will also have a 7th grade only review during my tutoring on Tuesday from 3:30-4:00.
8th Grade. There will be a test on Thursday. Most of the material will cover our most recent topics (work, power, and energy), but there will be questions over everything
we have covered this year. Everyone received a review sheet today that
is over all of the new material. The best way to review the old material
is to look over old tests and quizzes. The best idea is to focus on the
big ideas, not individual questions. For example, don't focus on the all of the individual questions about force in a test, but on what a force is and how it find the net force. We will have a class review on
Wednesday. I will also have an 8th grade only review on Wednesday afternoon from 3:30-4:00.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Hypothesis
The rough draft of the hypothesis is due on Friday. It should be handwritten in the rough draft section of your folder. Your hypothesis is pretty simple to write, but you should put some thought into what you think will happen and it should be based on the research you did.
Your hypothesis is an "If, then" statement followed by another sentence explaining why, based on your research. The general format is
The final draft of the variables and operational definition are also due on Friday. These should be signed by a parent or guardian and should be proof-read and corrected if necessary. Almost everyone got these typed and printed in class, so all that is left is getting a signature!
Your hypothesis is an "If, then" statement followed by another sentence explaining why, based on your research. The general format is
- If ____________ is done, then __________ will happen. Based on research...
- If fertilizer is added to plants, then the plants will grow faster and be healthier than plants without fertilizer. Based on research, plants need certain nutrients that fertilizer provides (should be more specific, but you get the idea).
- If the temperature of water is increased, then tea will brew faster. Research shows that as temperature increases, the energy of the molecules increases, making them move faster; when the molecules move faster there are more collisions between the water and the tea.
The final draft of the variables and operational definition are also due on Friday. These should be signed by a parent or guardian and should be proof-read and corrected if necessary. Almost everyone got these typed and printed in class, so all that is left is getting a signature!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Variables and Operational Definition
Everyone should be working on the rough drafts for you variables and your operational definition. All rough drafts should be hand written in the "Rough Draft" section of your folder.
The variables you should have are the independent, dependent, control, and constants. Remember, not all experiments have a control. The independent variable is also called the manipulated variable. This is the variable that you are changing for your experiment or the thing you are testing. When you wrote your purpose "The purpose of this experiment is to determine how ___________ affects ____________." The independent variable would be in that first blank. The dependent variable is also called the responding variable. This is the thing that changes because of what you did in the experiment or the second blank "affects ______________." The control is the thing you are NOT testing on or what you can use to compare your results to. Not every experiment has a control. You will have several constant variables in your experiment. These are all of the things that you will keep the same (if you change to many things at once, we won't know what actually caused your results).
The operational definition describes exactly how and what you are measuring. You need to be specific about what is being measured, so other people could repeat your experiment as you did it. This is where you decide what you mean by your independent and dependent variables. For example, what do you mean by most effective, plant growth, how high, how accurate, etc.
One of the examples in your instructional packet is "How does the amount of time studying affect science grades?"
Variables:
Now, for the operational definition, there could be more than one way to test this. Perhaps some people would say we should look at test scores only. Someone else might say studying is any time spent doing any science work. This is why it is important to describe exactly what will be measured in this experiment. Units should be included too. Do not describe the method of measurement, just the what!
The variables you should have are the independent, dependent, control, and constants. Remember, not all experiments have a control. The independent variable is also called the manipulated variable. This is the variable that you are changing for your experiment or the thing you are testing. When you wrote your purpose "The purpose of this experiment is to determine how ___________ affects ____________." The independent variable would be in that first blank. The dependent variable is also called the responding variable. This is the thing that changes because of what you did in the experiment or the second blank "affects ______________." The control is the thing you are NOT testing on or what you can use to compare your results to. Not every experiment has a control. You will have several constant variables in your experiment. These are all of the things that you will keep the same (if you change to many things at once, we won't know what actually caused your results).
The operational definition describes exactly how and what you are measuring. You need to be specific about what is being measured, so other people could repeat your experiment as you did it. This is where you decide what you mean by your independent and dependent variables. For example, what do you mean by most effective, plant growth, how high, how accurate, etc.
One of the examples in your instructional packet is "How does the amount of time studying affect science grades?"
Variables:
- Independent: amount of time studying
- Dependent: science grades
- Constant: method of study; study environment; student tested; type of assignment; (can you think of more?)
- Control: initial grade (or maybe you have another in mind?)
Now, for the operational definition, there could be more than one way to test this. Perhaps some people would say we should look at test scores only. Someone else might say studying is any time spent doing any science work. This is why it is important to describe exactly what will be measured in this experiment. Units should be included too. Do not describe the method of measurement, just the what!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
November 6th
Science Fair: You should be working on finishing your Informational Paragraphs which are due on Friday. Your paragraphs should be typed and signed by your parent/guardian. Make sure you read through the rubric in your instruction packet to make sure you have everything done like you should. One of the biggest mistakes I saw on the rough drafts was discussing your project. That is not the point of the assignment. The informational paragraphs are to give the reader background information about the subject of your project. This gives anyone examining your project the background knowledge they need to understand it. This also helps you make a hypothesis based on information you know.
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