mentor training meeting (#2) nov 22, 2012. meeting agenda progress review testable question ...
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Mentor Training Meeting (#2)Nov 22, 2012
Meeting Agenda Progress Review Testable Question Hypothesis (+Null) Formulation Project Approval Required Lab Notebook December Tasks Reminders
Mentor Training Checklist #2
Progress Review Met your buddy earlier this month, and have been
communicating (using email protocol) once a week
Turn in all required forms with signatures
Both you and buddy have agreed on mutual responsibilities and understand overall tasks and timeline
Worked through project ideas section in binder and have chosen (or narrowed down) a topic of interest
Start working on background research
Start forming a testable question on the chosen topic
Forming a Testable QuestionA question should be testable, or can be answered by experimentation:
What can you discover or measure by performing your experiment?
Example: “What is the effect of exercise on heart rate?”
Note: A common mistake is when students choose to create a “demonstration” such like a volcano, but it CAN’T be numerically measured
Tips: Questions to Avoid Any topic that’s based on a simple preference or taste
comparison o Example: “Which tastes better: Coke or Pepsi?” o Why? Too subjective. Need variables allowing numerical
measurements
Topics that are difficult to perform or repeat o Example: measuring nanoparticles or building complex
structure
Topics that involve dangerous, hard-to-find, expensive or illegal materials
Testable Question (cont.) A Testable Question often begins with:
~ How, What, Who, Which, Why, or Where o Example: if you’re interested in robots, your question might
be: “How much current does a robot’s arm use to lift a weight?”
Or, often it could have the word “affect” in the middle of it:o Example: “Does the height of the ramp affect how far the ball
will roll?”
*** Make sure that your Testable Question MUST involve factors or traits (variables) that you can clearly measure/identify
How to Form a Hypothesis
• A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:
• Basic structure: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."
(Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)
o Note: sometimes a hypothesis will also include a “because” statement at the end
How to Form a Hypothesis (cont.)
• Your hypothesis should be a testable hypothesis
• In other words, you need to be able to measure both “what you do” (ie, Independent Variable) and “what will happen” (ie, Dependable Variable)
•
Definition:
• Independent variable (IV): The variable that is changed by the scientist. • Dependent variable (DV): The variable the scientist observes. • Controlled variables (CV): Those quantities that a scientist wants to
remain constant throughout the experiment.
How to Form a Null HypothesisNULL HYPOTHESIS ~ think of it as a backward way of looking at things. That is, if the null hypothesis says that what you do will have no effect. Then, if you can disprove that, you can have some confidence that it did indeed have an effect.
Example:
Hypothesis: If I add nutrient A to a plant, then this will make the plant grow taller.
Null Hypothesis: If I add nutrient A to a plant, then this will have no effect on the growth in height of the plant.
If you can disprove your null hypothesis (ie, your dependent variable (= nutrient) is indeed experimentally connected to the independent variable (= plant growth in length)), it will support your original hypothesis.
Example of Variables • Testable Question: • Ex: “Does heating a cup of water allow it to dissolve more
sugar?”
•Independent Variable (IV): Temperature of the water, measured in Fahrenheit (°F)
• Dependent Variable (DV): Amount of sugar that dissolves completely, measured in gram => This is the measured outcome you get
• Controlled Variables (CV): Stirring or not, type of sugar, etc, etc. ie, these are variables that are held constant
Lab Notebook The lab notebook should read like a diary from the
beginning to the end of the project
Suggested Table of Content:
Choosing a Project
Literary Research
Experimental Research (hypothesis / variables / procedures / materials, special forms, etc.) Daily Log (dates, data, thoughts, processes, etc.)
Suggested format: Use complete sentences / data tables, if possible
Your buddy must have their lab notebookat all buddy meetings, and during experiment.
December Tasks
Finalize Topic / Testable Question for approval, if you haven’t already done so
Discuss how to use a Lab Notebook with buddy
Continue with more Background Research
Form a Hypothesis (+null)
Identify Independent/Dependent/Control Variables
Draft a Procedure and Materials list
Review appropriate binder sections with buddy
Due Dec. 20 ~ Topic / Testable Question, Hypothesis, Control, Variables, Proposed Procedure & Materials
Project Approval Required • All experiments require approval by the Advisor, Mrs.
Bandrowski, before experimentation. Any question, contact us at:
• AND Mrs. Bandrowski at
• [email protected]• • In the subject line put:
o “SA Project Approval Request” ~ if seeking approval for project
o “SA Project Materials Request” ~ if seeking to borrow materials.
Reminders!
Make sure you email your buddy at least once a week!
o Don’t forget to CC communications, your mentor trainer, and the buddy’s parent
If they don’t reply, CALL them
Mentor-Buddy Meeting, next Monday Dec 3, 2012, after school
3:15pm – 5:30pmWrite it in your planner!