The Steps of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is the way that scientists organize and track their studies. As they learn and experiment they use the scientific method. The very first step in the scientific method is to state the _________titleconclusionproblemquestiondata.

Once you have done this you can do some research and then form a good _________conclusionhypothesisanalysisguess. Then we test this by doing _________an experimenta processa conclusion. When designing a scientific investigation, there are two types of inquiry: _________opinionobservationalanecdotal study and _________controlledcautionedcalculated experiment. In the second type, the purpose is to determine whether the _________dependentindependent variable causes an effect on the _________dependentindependent variable.

When we design an experiment and write a _________processset of stepsprocedure, we need to identify the _________dataoptionsvariables that can change in the investigation. The _________dependent variableindependent variable is changed by the experimenter. The _________dependent variableindependent variable is the one that changes in response. All other factors are kept the same so the experiment is fair, these are called _________captureddataobservedcontrolled variables.

To answer the question that forms the basis of a scientific investigation, you must make _________observationsconclusionsevidence and gather information or data. It is important to take good notes so you know the result of each experiment. There are two types of observations. _________QualitativeQuantitative observations use information gathered through your senses, they describe the qualities of objects and events (may include diagrams) and cannot be measured. _________QualitativeQuantitative observations are based on measurements or counting since they deal with amounts (quantities) of things.

We then analyze all of our _________numbersdataprocedure, and finally form a _________reportgraphconclusion. By the time you finish, you will either prove that your guess was right, or you will prove that your guess was wrong. Either result is okay, we learn from both results. We communicate our findings to other scientists by writing a _________letteressayreport.