Scientific Method Worksheets

All savvy scientists conduct experiments using the scientific method. This method allows for different observations to take place in order to prove one's theory in regards to the nature of science. It is important that students understand that they must investigate their theory by testing out their hypothesis. Untested theories have no substance in the real world.

We offer a wide variety of worksheets dedicated to helping students learn all about the scientific method. Once they understand how this truth seeking method works, then you can incorporate experiments into your lesson. We have tons of exciting science experiments for you and your class to test out. They are interesting, fun, and surely a crowd pleaser.

The Scientific Method is a series of techniques used to examine phenomena. This methodology date back to third century BC The primary goal for the use of Scientific Method is in truth seeking. We provide students with a series of worksheets below to introduce them to the basic process.

Adjectives to Describe a Problem - Write an adjective on each line to describe a problem.
Adjectives to Describe an Hypothesis
Adjectives to Describe a Well Written Conclusion
Influential Scientists Worksheets
Scientific Method Outline
KWL
Science Rubric Makers
Steps of the Scientific Method - Can make for a nice class poster or the front of a binder for students.
Lesson Plans
Teacher Resources

Printable Science Labs That Use and Apply the Scientific Method

What Is the Scientific Method?

The scientific method is a simple way of researching. Everyone can use this method to prove something they think is true. Scientists use this method when they are studying different things in the world. Learning about the scientific method is essential so you can find the answers you want to a question. You need a lot of information to use the scientific form! This information is called data.

Scientific Method Steps

There are 7 steps of the scientific method. We will take a really deep dive into this later on, but for a brief overview: The first thing that researchers do is that they gather a lot of information about a topic. For example, a scientist studying one plant will collect a lot of information about it. Then they will look for a reason to explain why the plant does a particular thing. The reason is called a hypothesis. The hypothesis is not enough. To convince people that their answer is the right one, they have to experiment. The experiment will try to prove the hypothesis. The results of the experiment will be collected and presented. These results will show if it was correct or not. Everyone can use it at home to prove a hypothesis.

Look Around You and Observe

The first step is to look around your house. Can you see anything interesting happening? For example, notice how it turns dark outside at night.

Think of a Question

Suppose you noticed that it turns dark outside at night. You now have a question that you formed from this observation: why does it turn dark at night?

Predict an Answer

Based on your observations, you can predict an answer. For example, it turns dark at night because there is no sun to light up the sky. This is your hypothesis. You will now have to prove that it’s true. Otherwise, how will people believe you?

Experiment to Find Out

Now you have a hypothesis so you can experiment. An experiment has to be perfect, so it is accurate. Make sure that there is at least one constant in your experiment. For example, you can check whether or not the sun is up. Make sure you check at two fixed times in the daytime and at night. This way, you can observe the effect of the sun on the darkness of the sky.

Write Down the Results

You will have to record whatever results you find. Note down anything else you see as well. These results will show you if your hypothesis is correct.

Did You Predict Correctly?

After gathering results, you can write down all the results to see if they make sense. If you predicted that the sun would make the sky bright, the results would show that it was sunny in the daytime when the sun was out, but it was dark in the nighttime when the sun was gone.

Where Did the Scientific Method Come From?

Many scientists have contributed to the scientific method. Some famous scientists like Isaac Newton also wrote a lot about it. They wanted people to know they could use this method when studying science. We know so many things today because scientists proved them with the scientific method. For example, how would we know about gravity if Isaac Newton didn’t drop an apple and a feather?

Simple Experiments to Try at Home

There are simple ways to carry out experiments in your house. Here are some of them.

Soda and Vinegar

For this experiment, you can pour soda and vinegar into a glass. Put some resins inside the glass. Watch how the resins move fast. Why are they moving like this?

Glitter and Soap

Fill up a tray with water. Squeeze some dish soap into the tray. Now pour glitter into the same try. Does the soap make the glitter float? If it does, then how is it that soap can help remove glitter from surfaces?

Marker Man

Draw a stick figure on a tray. Use an erasable board marker to draw the figure. Now fill the tray with water. Notice how the figure floats. Why does this happen? What does it prove about how easily erasable dry markers can be peeled away.

Soda Can

This is a simple experiment. You may have crushed many soda cans before throwing them in the trash. Have you ever wondered why empty soda cans can easily be crushed? What if you could destroy the can without squeezing it with your hands? Try placing the soda can in the water. Water puts a lot of pressure on the objects inside it. Observe how the soda can behave now.

Chalk from Eggshells

Did you know that you can make your chalk? This is because chalk and eggshells are made from the same material. Add food coloring to crushed shells and try drawing with them. What did you learn from this observation?

Why Is It Important?

It is essential for kids to understand the scientific method. It is where all the discoveries of science come from. It is also the accepted method for scientists and researchers to conduct research and solve issues. It is also useful because it helps us see different patterns in our surroundings and figure out why things happen.

Once you learn about the scientific method, you can easily prove any theory you have. If you think that more than 10 bees like to come near flowers in a day, you can watch and count the number of bees that come near a sunflower in your garden. If they are 10, then you’ll know that your theory is right.

What Are the 7 Steps of the Scientific Method?

Scientists and researchers use the scientific method to establish facts through experimentation and testing objectively. The scientific methods involve making observations, forming a hypothesis, making predictions, conducting experiments, and analyzing.

There are seven steps in the scientific method. Let us look at each of these steps in detail, but first, it is essential to understand what the scientific method is and why it is so crucial in research. Read on to find out!

What Is It and Why Is It So Important?

What makes the scientific methods so important is that it aids in the process of experimentation by providing an objective and standardized approach to it. Hence, this scientific method ultimately improves the quality of the experiments and enhances the accuracy of the results.

The scientific method ensures that the scientists or researchers are not influenced by personal or preconceived notions that can impact the study results, causing bias and inaccuracy. Using a standardized approach helps people stick to the facts and reduces their reliance on opinions.

The scientific method teaches you to assess and carefully go over all the evidence before making a statement, which is vital in science. It also trains the brain to examine and process information logically. It teaches one to be more observant, test all the facts, and make relevant connections and inferences.

The benefits of the scientific method go beyond science and research.

The Seven Steps - Here are the seven steps of the scientific method that you should know about:

1. Ask a Question

The first step the defining and asking the question you want an answer to. You must ensure that your question is measurable in terms of experimentation. For example, it is quite likely for most results to be measured in numerical terms. Although it is relatively more challenging to measure behavioral results, they are also a part of the scientific method.

The question you ask could start with How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

For example, if you want to carry out an experiment about the relationship between technology and student grades and performance, your question could be as follows:

Does technology directly or indirectly impact student performance in terms of academics?

This is an example of the research question, and the following steps will work toward finding an accurate answer to this question.

2. Perform Background Research

Conducting research is one of the most critical steps of the scientific method. Once you have formulated the research question, you need to conduct preliminary background research to understand what has been said previously about the topics.

Preliminary research will help you solidify your research topics by narrowing down your study or broadening it. At this point, you may want to narrow down your search. So, instead of assessing the impact of technology on student performance, you may want to base your study on the effects of mobile phones on student performance or student grades.

Depending on the type of research question, you can find relevant information in the following sources:

- Library resources
- Internet
- Books and magazines
- Research journals
- The newspaper
- Biographies
- Political commentary
- Textbooks.

Taking the same example mentioned in the first step, you can review past scientific studies on the impact of mobile phones on students or teenagers.

3. Form or Propose a Hypothesis

The third step of the scientific method is forming a hypothesis. This step involves making an educated guess about how things work. In simpler words, to form a hypothesis means answering the research question in an explanatory manner that can be tested.

In the hypothesis statement, state your hypothesis and the prediction that you will be testing in your research. Keep in mind that your predictions must be easy to measure.

Here is an example of a hypothesis statement:

"If students use their phones excessively, then the students' grades are likely to fall."

4. Conduct an Experiment to Test Your Hypothesis

Now that you have formed your hypothesis statement, it is time to test whether your prediction is accurate. To test your hypothesis, you need to focus on facts and steer clear of your personal opinion and judgments to ensure the accuracy of the test results.

Conducting a fair test involves changing one factor at a time while all other factors remain constant.

Experimentation is an essential part of the scientific method as it is a way to test your predictions quantifiably.

For example, you can study the grades of students who own a cell phone and spend a lot of time on it, or you could look at the grades of students who own a cell phone but don't spend long hours on it.

Another approach could be to look at students' grades who don't own a cell phone. You must also factor in all the information you have gathered through other sources and focus on the relevant facts to your research.

5. Make Relevant Observations

In this step, you must assess your scientific process to ensure that all the conditions remain constant across all measures of experimentation. If you change factors in your experiment, you must keep all other factors constant to maintain fairness.

Once you have completed your experiment, it would be a good idea to run it a few more times to ensure the accuracy of the results.

6. Analyze the Results and Draw Conclusion

You've done all the hard work, and it is now time to assess the findings of your experiments and establish whether or not they support the hypothesis you formed. The process of drawing conclusions means determining whether what you believed to be true actually happened.

7. Present Your Findings

The last step is to compile and communicate the results of your study. Here are some of the forms you can use to present your findings:

- A presentation
- A report
- A journal

The benefits of the scientific method go beyond science and research and are particularly important for students. We hope this guide was helpful in understanding the seven steps of the scientific method and will come in handy during your next study.