Analyzing an Experiment

Teach the sheets in order so students can use variables and hypotheses when they reach Leo's lab report. Have them underline what changes and what is measured in each experiment before they fill in the boxes.

Find the missing average in Leo's ramp lab report, spot the flaw in his trials and write a conclusion. The directions on the page read: Read the lab report, study the data table and read the box. Then answer the questions on page 2. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade scientific method, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with scientific method and variables. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Controlled variables are things kept the same so the test is fair. In the sheet's paper airplane experiment, the paper and the way each airplane is thrown stay the same while the wing size changes.

A testable hypothesis predicts something you can measure or observe. The statement that blue is a prettier color than red cannot be tested, so students circle it on the sheet.

Check whether everything except the independent variable stayed the same. In Leo's lab report, the third trial at 30 cm used a heavier red truck instead of the blue car, so that average is less trustworthy.

State what happened and use numbers from the data to back it up, then say whether the hypothesis was supported. Students write one for Leo's experiment using the averages in his table.