Seven steps of the scientific method

MMS science

September 13 - Middle School Teachers: Diana Miller, Josiah Atteberry, Amanda Rowe

Process: 6th grade students learned the Seven Steps of the Scientific Method: Question, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Analysis, Conclusion, and Communication

Students had the opportunity to learn the material through many methods. They wrote it out, used card sorts, and had showdowns to memorize the steps in the correct order. To ensure understanding, students had hands-on experience to put the seven steps into action. 

Students were guided by the teachers. The first step was to create a problem statement to determine if toothpaste would protect the eggshells from decay and stain, as it does for tooth enamel. The second step: gather information. Students interviewed teachers in the room, and classmates, and used what they already knew about the products in the experiment, ex: toothpaste, acids in lemon juice, composition of colas, etc.

In the third step, students developed their hypothesis, using “If, then” statements to make an educated guess to determine what they believed the outcome would be…..would the toothpaste protect the eggshell or not? 

The fourth step was to design and perform the experiment. Students had to determine what materials were needed, what are the constants, and determine the independent and dependent variables in the experiment, along with then, performing the experiment. For

Step Five, students recorded and analyzed the data. Due to time constraints, we simply wrote down what we observed vs. making a data table or graph. Step six led students to write a conclusion statement about the results. Finally, step seven reminds students to repeat, repeat, repeat the experiment, and explain why we should do so. 

It’s important for students to understand and use the scientific method. This method offers a standardized, systematic approach to learning. Students can determine questions about observations and research theories for explanation.