Today we began talking about the scientific process. We watched a video clip and reviewed the steps. Students created an Adobe Spark video to explain the steps of the scientific process. Be sure to check out our SeeSaw account for those.
All fourth graders are expected to complete a scientific experiment this year. More information will be sent home next week. Laura Holt's Science Fair Guide below will help you as you help your child decide on and conduct a science experiment. Refer to this guide as your child works through the scientific process. I'm sure you will find it quite helpful. Students should be conducting an experiment, NOT creating a demonstration. Read the excerpt below from Laura Holt's Science Fair Guide to help you understand the difference. Please ask questions if you have any as we go through the scientific process this nine weeks.
A model, display, collection, or demonstration:
Shows how something works in the real world, but doesn’t really test anything.
Examples of displays, or collections can be: “The Solar System”, “Types of Dinosaurs”, “Types of Rocks”, “My gum collection”
Examples of models and demonstrations might be:
“The Solar System “, “How an Electric Motor Works” “Tornado in a Bottle”
An Experiment:
Lots of information is given, but it also has a project that shows testing being done and the gathering of data.
Examples of experiments can be: “The Effects of Detergent on the Growth of Plants”, “Which Paper Towel is more Absorbent” or “What Structure can Withstand the Most Amount of Weight”.
You can tell you have an experiment if you are testing something several times, measuring something and changing a variable to see what will happen.