The Scientific Method has seven steps:
1. Purpose or Question: (Identify a problem or find something that interests you and that you would like to know more. Ask yourself WHY does _____ do that? What if ________ happened to it.... would the same thing happen at the end? WHEN does ___________ occur? Wonder why? What if _____________? WHAT makes __________ happen? What if ___________? )
2. Hypothesis: (Make a prediction about what you think will happen with your experiment. Write that "good guess" as a sentence. Example: The watered plants will grow.)
3.Materials (Gather all the materials you will need to do the experiment, including paper and pencil.)
4.Procedures: (What steps did you do to carry out your experiment? Example: First, I bought 4 pansy plants. Next, I potted them in clay pots.)
5. Collect Data from Trials and Tests (Write down what you have observed. Be sure to measure and count everything. Example: On Tuesday, November 12, 2000, I measured each pansy. Pansy A measured 12.5cm and had 15 leaves, 2 flowers, and 1 bud.)
6. Results: (What happened when you did the experiment. Example: Pansy A and B died. Pansy C showed the most growth in heighth while Pansy D grew more leaves. Both C and D had the same number of flowers.)
7. Conclusions: (answers your question-- proves or disproves your hypothesis.) What did you learn from your experiment and how does it affect your life? Example: Watered plants grow.
To begin your project, choose a topic that interests you. If you enjoy growing things, you might choose something to do with plants. If you've ever wondered about how or why something works the way it does, choose it for a topic and turn it into an experiment.
REMEMBER, in an experiment you must have two things, a variable and a control. Nothing "special" happens to the control part, but something DOES happen to the variable. For instance, if I wanted to see if water helps a plant grow, I would plant four plants (the same type and as close to the same size as possible). All four plants would be placed in the same location so they could receive the same amount of sunlight with the same conditions. Two plants would get the same amount of water at the same time of day for the length of the experiment and two would not. The variable is whether or not the plants receive water.
Next, you have to observe and record those observations. (otherwise know as Watch and Write) Watch what happens to your variables and controls. Write down what you see. So, twice a week, or before each time I water my plants, I would measure each plant with a ruler to find out how tall it was and then count every leaf to see how it had grown in that manner. I would have 2 ways of proving a plant had grown. Next, I would write down each measurement. Making a chart would be a quick and easy way to keep up with this information.
Now you need to compile your data-- put your facts and figures in a chart or table that will help you see the results of your experiment. Decide if you proved or disproved your hypothesis. (Did the watered plants grow more than the ones that received no water? I look at what I said for my hypothesis. (The watered plants will grow.) If they did, then I proved my hypothesis. If they didn't, then I disproved my hypothesis.
The conclusion just restates the hypothesis, but as a fact instead of a "good guess". (Example: Watered plants grow.)
Next, plan your backdrop and your presentation to the judge. (Click on the words for more information and examples).
For help with your research paper, try this site: http://www.dictionary.com/writing/
The following table of web addresses contains sites that may benefit you in your endeavor:
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