SCIENCE
ETO
SUCCESS ACADEMY
DATE : ___________
Preparing ___________________________ to be a Sensational Scientist.
(Name)
Topic: Scientific Investigations
Pre-assessment
1. Jasmine entered the school science fair competition. She wanted to see if
colored light affected plant growth. However, when several other students
repeated Jasmine's procedure, they all obtained different results than Jasmine's.
What do the different results mean?
A. The other students should design their own experiments about light.
B. The results will probably be different every time an experiment is
conducted.
C. Jasmine's results should be accepted since she conducted the experiment
first.
D. Jasmine's results should not be accepted because scientific results should
be repeatable.
2. Sam is conducting an experiment with pendulums; he thinks that more
massive objects will swing faster. He is testing whether the mass of the
swinging object has an effect on how long it takes to make one swing. He
tests two different masses and collects the data shown in the table.
What should Sam do based on these results?
A. Throw out the data because it doesn't support his hypothesis.
B. Do more trials to see if the difference in time really is significant.
C. Conclude that less massive objects always take more time to swing.
D. Conclude that more massive objects always take more time to swing.
2
Student Exploration: Germination
Vocabulary: controlled experiment, germination, hypothesis, seed, sprout, variable
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What do you think is needed for a seed grow into a sprout? This is called germination.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. In the GizmoTM you can test water, light, and heat. Which factors do you think will affect seed
germination?
_________________________________________________________________________
Gizmo Warm-up: 100% Germination Challenge
How many seeds can you get to sprout? Can you get 20 out of 20 (100%)? Good luck!
1. In the Germination Gizmo, set up the three trays however you like:




Drag a packet of seeds to each tray.
Drag the Daily water slider up or down to set water level.
Click on the light bulbs to turn them on or off.
Click on the coils to set the heat level.
When you’re ready, click Play (
)!
2. After the simulation ends (five “days”), count how many sprouts you have (out of 20) in each tray.
What percent sprouted? Fill in your results in the blanks below.


To find the percent, divide your number of sprouts by 20, and then multiply by 100.
Hint for mental math: Each seed is 1/20th, or 5%, of the whole. (1/20 = .05 = 5%)
Tray 1: ____ /20 = ______%
Tray 2: ____ /20 = ______%
Tray 3: ____ /20 = ______%
3. Click Reset (
) and Clear trays. Try several more tests to see if you can get more seeds to
germinate. What conditions made the most seeds sprout?
Seed type: _____
Daily water: _____ mL
Heat: __________
% sprouted = ______ %
3
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:


Water and
germination
Click Reset.
Click Clear pots.
Question: Do seeds need water to germinate?
1. Form a hypothesis: Do seeds need water to germinate? Circle what you think below. This is your
hypothesis.
No, plants need no water.
Yes, plants need some water.
Yes, plants need lots of water.
2. Set up Gizmo: Now you will set up a fair test. A test is fair when all conditions are kept the same
except the one(s) you are testing. In science this is called a controlled experiment. The condition
that changes (or varies) is the variable being tested. Set up the trays like this:

Tray 1: seed A, 0 mL water per day, all 3 lights on, heat low

Tray 2: seed A, 50 mL water per day, all 3 lights on, heat low

Tray 3: seed A, 100 mL water per day, all 3 lights on, heat low
3. Experiment: Time to test your hypothesis. Click Play to start. When the Gizmo stops, count the
number of sprouts in each tray. Record your data below.
Tray
Seed
Amount of
water
Amount of
light
Amount of
heat
Number of sprouts
1
A
0 mL per day
3 lights on
low
_____ /20 = _____ %
2
A
50 mL per day
3 lights on
low
_____ /20 = _____ %
3
A
100 mL per day
3 lights on
low
_____ /20 = _____ %
4. Revise and repeat: What is the ideal amount of water for germination of Seed A? What is ideal for
Seeds B and C? Write your findings below.
Seed A: ______ mL per day
Seed B: ______ mL per day
Seed C: ______ mL per day
5. Draw conclusions: In general, do seeds need water to germinate? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:


Lighten up!
Click Reset.
Click Clear pots.
Question: Do seeds need light to germinate?
1. Form a hypothesis: Do seeds need light to germinate? Circle your hypothesis.
All seeds need light.
Some seeds need light.
No seeds need light.
2. Set up Gizmo: In the Gizmo, design a controlled experiment using Seed A. Remember that a
controlled experiment keeps everything the same except what is being tested. Fill in the settings you
will use in the table below. (Leave the number of sprouts blank for now.)
Amount of
water
Amount of
light
Amount of
heat
Tray
Seed
Number of sprouts
1
A
_____ /20 = _____ %
2
A
_____ /20 = _____ %
3
A
_____ /20 = _____ %
3. Experiment: Click Play to run your experiment. Record your results in the table above.
4. Analyze: Does seed A need light to germinate? How do you know this?
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Revise and repeat: Run a similar experiment with seeds B and C. Do seeds B and C need light to
germinate? Describe your findings.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Draw conclusions: In general, do seeds need light to germinate? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity C:
Some like it hot


Click Reset.
Click Clear pots.
Question: How does the amount of heat affect seed germination?
1. Form a hypothesis: How do you think heat affects germination? State your hypothesis.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Set up Gizmo: Design a controlled experiment to test the effects of heat on germination. Enter your
settings in the table below. Explain how you controlled your experiment.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Experiment: Click Play. When the Gizmo is done, enter your results in the table below.
Tray
Seed
Amount of
water
Amount of
light
Amount of
heat
Number of sprouts
1
_____ /20 = _____ %
2
_____ /20 = _____ %
3
_____ /20 = _____ %
4. Revise and repeat: Design controlled experiments to test the effects of heat on the other types of
seeds in the Gizmo. Describe what you find.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Draw conclusions: Is too much heat bad for seed germination? Is too little heat bad? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6
Extension
Factors Affecting Rate of Reactions
Benchmark:
SC.8.N.1.1 - Define a problem from the eighth grade curriculum using appropriate reference materials to
support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types, such as
systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in
charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.
Overview:
You may have noticed that all chemical reactions don’t take place at the same speed. The explosion of
fireworks occurs instantaneously while the rusting of a steel-wool pad may take hours.
Just imagine what would happen if the energy released inside our bodies occurred as violently as the
oxidation (lighting) of a match! We would witness the spontaneous combustion of a person! Within our
bodies, it is important to control the rate of the reactions.
In order to understand how the rates of a reaction can be controlled, it is necessary to explore the factors
that influence the rates of reaction.
In this activity you will be challenged to see which group can make an Alka-Seltzer® tablet react the
fastest.
Materials: These are the basic materials used, you may require additional materials.
 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask
 Balloon to fit over a 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask
 Alka-Seltzer® tablets
Procedure:
1. Testing Factors That Influence the Rate of Reaction
a. Brainstorm within your group to come up with different variables that may influence the rate of
the reaction.
b. Design and experiment to test how fast you can make the Alka-Seltzer® react. An outline of
your experiment including your hypothesis, control group, and variables needs to be given to
the teacher prior to experimentation.
2. Contest Rules: The contest is to see which group can make the Alka-Seltzer® react the fastest
in a given time limit, thus inflating the largest balloon.
a. A balloon will be attached to the flask as soon as possible, after the Alka-Seltzer® tablet has
been dropped into the flask.
b. Each group is limited to changing only two variables at a time from the original conditions, i.e.
50 ml of room temperature water and one solid Alka-Seltzer® tablet, 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask.
c. The timing will begin when the Alka-Seltzer® enters the flask and last for exactly 30 seconds.
All groups will drop the Alka-Seltzer® tablet simultaneously.
d. At the end of 30 seconds, the balloon must be pinched off and tied. (A representative from
another group should be an observer so students don't blow into their balloon to increase the
balloon’s volume.)
e. A representative from the group will bring the balloon to be measured by the teacher.
f. The group having the balloon with the largest volume wins!
7
Post-Assessment
1)
Colleen waters the plants in her greenhouse once every day. She wants to find out if the plants will grow more
leaves if they are watered more often. She counts the number of leaves on each plant before she starts. She
then continues to water half of each type of plant once daily, but she waters the other half of each type twice a
day.
What is the dependent variable in Colleen's experiment?
A. the type of plant being grown
B. the number of leaves the plants grow
C. the amount of light the plants receive
D. the number of times the plants are watered
2) Christy wants to find out if the birds that visit the bird feeders in her backyard would rather build nests in
birdhouses or in trees. She puts a birdhouse next to the feeder containing sunflower seeds and hangs a feeder
containing cracked corn from a tree.
She observes the birds' nesting activities over the next two weeks and records her observations. Which of the
following would improve Christy's investigation?
A. putting more food in both bird feeders
B. setting the feeders up closer to each other
C. putting the same kind of food in both bird feeders
D. setting up a third bird feeder containing fruit near a bird bath
3) Randy's science teacher is giving a demonstration to show how a metal reacts with different acids. He places a
small piece of the metal in each of three beakers containing a solution of a different acid. He adds a piece of the
metal to a fourth beaker that contains only water. What is the purpose of the fourth beaker?
A. It ensures that the hypothesis will be correct.
B. It provides more data to include in a lab report.
C. It adds an independent variable to the experiment.
D. It is the control and serves as the basis for comparison.
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4. Curtis conducts an investigation to determine which brand of paper towels is the most absorbent. He
records his findings in the table below.
WATER ABSORBENCY OF PAPER TOWELS
What is the test variable (independent variable) in this investigation?
A. the liquid used
B. the brand of paper towels
C. the amount of water absorbed
D. the time the towels absorbed water
5. The following bar graph shows the population of bacteria under different temperature ranges.
What can be concluded about the bacteria from reading this graph?
A. They thrive at exactly 30°C.
B. They cannot tolerate temperatures above 50°C.
C. They prefer temperatures between 20°C and 30°C.
D. They prefer warmer temperatures to cooler temperatures.
9