Should I Teach the Scientific Method?

The topic of teaching the scientific method is a controversial subject among science teachers.

The old scientific method teaches students that science is linear.  Many text books use this simplified method of explaining the six main steps.

This method indirectly teaches the students that all scientists follow some easy cookbook recipe-type of science to always find a definitive answer to their question.

However, seasoned scientists know that science is anything but linear!

Scientists understand that a scientific investigation has many different paths it could follow.  Any part of the scientific process could lead to any number of possible next steps. 

For example, a conclusion to an investigation could cause the scientist to pose more questions to research.  Or, scientists could also use the same scientific question to dig deeper on previous research conducted by other scientists.

The Flow of the Scientific Process
www.understandingscience.org
© 2008 The University of California
Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley,
and the Regents of the University of California

So, which one should you teach - the scientific method or the scientific process?

I say - teach BOTH!

Now, why do I say that?

It has been my experience that upper elementary through middle school students need to understand the basic steps outlined within the scientific method.

Only once these principles have been mastered will the student be able to grasp how genuine inquiry is conducted through the scientific process.

Do I ignore the reality of the scientific process until the students have mastered the steps of the scientific method?  

Not at all.  I usually carve out some time to have a class discussion about the difference between the scientific method and the scientific process.

I describe to the students how the scientists use the steps of the scientific method but not always in a certain order.  This discussion helps expand the students' scientific way of knowing, which they build upon each year.

I believe teaching the steps outlined in the scientific method is a great foundation for the rest of the school year.  Pairing the scientific method with experimental design will prepare your students to conduct meaningful inquiry related to grade-level content throughout the school year.

The Case of the Missing Cake: Using a CSI Lab to Teach Chemical and Physical Changes

Everyone loves to solve a mystery, so The Case of the Missing Cake CSI Lab gets students excited to observe and classify physical and chemical changes!

The CSI Lab Scenario will definitely engage the students and make learning about physical and chemical changes much more interesting.

But, if you want to amp up the engagement, then you may want to decorate your classroom as a crime scene.

Add the caution tape.  Have an empty cake plate with a trail of white powder on the counter.  Dress up as a detective or crime scene investigator.  The more you sell this activity, then the more excited your students will be about learning the basics of chemistry.

Small classroom transformation #CSI #scienceclass #chemistry #science #teacherlife #teach #engage #teachersofinstagram lesson credit on TPT: @angelawillyerd

A photo posted by Esther Alvarez (@alvrze) on Oct 6, 2015 at 4:17pm PDT

Imagine being a student in your classroom when the room is staged like in the photo above.  Exciting, right?  In an instant, you have already captured their attention.  Then, you can explain the case.  In this lab, a cake decorated by a famous baker has gone missing from his bakery overnight.

It is up to the students to solve the case!  

Three suspects were found with white powder residue on their clothing.  So, the students must test samples of known and unknown substances to determine which suspect was the culprit.

The students will then observe what occurs when testing the known white substances with water, vinegar, and iodine.

Did it dissolve?  Did it fizz?  Did it turn colors?

Once the lab group discusses what was observed, then they classify the observation as a physical or chemical change.

Students will then be presented with unknown samples collected from the crime scene and each of the suspects.  They will then need to test these unknown samples as they did the known samples.

Once the results have been collected, then the data analysis begins.  You may have to walk through the data analysis with your students.  Help them be able to compare the known substance results to the unknown substance observations.

Can they determine which substance is which based on the observations?  Which sample collected from the suspect matches the observations made with the crime scene sample?  Who was the cake thief?

Thank you @angelawillyerd for your#TPT #CSILab It was a hit this year too! #teachersofinstagram Blog post soon!

A photo posted by Esther Alvarez (@alvrze) on Oct 4, 2016 at 12:56pm PDT

The fun part, as a teacher, is that you can always have some tricks up your sleeve.  If you are conducting this lab with more than one class, then you may want to switch up the crime scene sample.

The different classes will yield different results as to which suspect is guilty of stealing the cake!  This will keep the students on their toes and avoid any spoiler situations that are lurking in the hallways or cafeterias.  There is always one student who can't wait to share the verdict with the others!

This lab helped students collaborate with others, classify the observations as either physical or chemical changes, and encouraged higher level thinking with the analysis of the collected data.  Plus, it got students excited about science!  Yes!!

Are you interested in conducting this lab in your class but don't have the time to create the lab handouts or corresponding presentation?  Check this resource out in my TeachersPayTeachers store - it is available in PowerPoint and Smart Notebook formats.

Special thanks to Esther Alvarez!  She is a rock-star teacher in Texas who has conducted this lab in her middle school science class for a few years, and is always so nice to share the photos with me!  You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

 

How to Teach Good Procedure Writing: PB and No J Scientific Method Demonstration

I love teaching the scientific process

to start off the beginning of the year. It's the foundation for all other good scientific work that we will do throughout the entire academic year. I introduce the importance of good procedure writing with a fun and memorable demonstration called PB & No J.

Students are asked to write some steps for how to make a peanut butter sandwich as a type of pre-assessment. I usually walk around the room to observe the different skill levels of the students, since many of my students come to me with various scientific inquiry experiences. Then, I have a few volunteers to participate in the first part of the demonstration. Students experience poorly written procedures when trying to make a peanut butter sandwich. The student trying to make the sandwich in this demonstration automatically adds the unwritten steps since they have probably made a peanut butter sandwich before. It's a lot of fun for the class when the teacher polices this demonstration and calls the student out. "Did the instructions say to do that?" The classmates usually start shouting out ideas for what should be done, but as the teacher and facilitator, you want to get the point across that there is a lot of wiggle room with these procedures. You just
never know what should actually be done and need to do some guessing. That does not make for a clear and consistent procedure. I do allow students to be creative in opening the peanut butter jar and eating the sandwich - as long as it isn't with their hands. Always pick a student for this part of the demonstration who is generally outgoing and boisterous. You will know the perfect kid for each class who will help make this activity memorable.

The second part of the demonstration shows the students an example of well-written procedures. I usually try to over-emphasize on the detail, and then try to tell the kids that their procedures need to be a happy medium between the poor procedures and the extremely detailed procedures. Once the students have experienced both demonstrations, then I have them review the procedures they had written at the beginning of the activity. I ask them to self-assess on a rubric, and then have any super confident junior scientists try their hand at reading their procedure for someone to follow in front of the class. This is a great opening for a few other lab experiences that will provide the opportunity for students to continue refining their procedure writing skills. I can tell a HUGE difference in the student writing when I explicitly teach procedure writing with this activity versus years when I only mentioned how it was important to include detailed steps. PB & No J definitely makes an impression!

Do you love this activity but don't have a ton of time to think about writing all those procedures? Download the handout with a self-assessment rubric and t-chart as well as a corresponding PowerPoint on my TpT store here!