Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How can I use a simplified version the scientific method as a model for young students to distinguish between silly guesses and valid science questions?

Hello,

I would suggest teaching that scientific guesses can always be tested, they are not a matter of opinion, they are a matter of fact. So, "Superman is the coolest superhero" is not a scientific guess. To prevent them from making silly guesses, I would suggest encouraging them to predict the results of simple experiments, based on prior knowledge. Say, predict what will happen to the volume of a glass of water if it is left outside? Since many of them have seen this before, it might be easier to make a prediction.

Hope this helps,
Nithin T.

Hi,

Have you investigated the Teachers tab on the main page of this site?
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... l?From=Tab

You might find this download helpful:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ojects.pdf

Here is a Science Buddies overview of the Scientific Method:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... Method.pdf

I hope you can adapt these materials to your specific grade level.

Best regards,

Barrett L Tomlinson

Hello,

Since it looks like you are teaching preschool kids, telling them that scientific questions have to be testable, etc is great but perhaps you can also mention that using the scientific method doesn't always have to relate to science and is used by people all the time, everyday. You can try giving simple, everyday examples that they can relate to. For example, if a flashlight is not working, people generally ask themselves why is it not working. It could be because the bulb is burned out or because the batteries are dead. Then we try the "experimenting" or in this case first replacing the light bulb to see if it makes a difference or otherwise replacing the batteries to see if it makes a difference. For this example, maybe replacing the batteries does the trick and now we can use the flashlight!
Using such simple examples might help them understand the scientific method better and how it is used so often by scientists but also by your average person as well...
Hope that helped a little bit!

-Prasad