🔬 ScienceGrade 5Lesson 1
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Scientific Method & Fair Tests

How to use: Download the PDF to print the worksheet. Then use this page to repeat activities and check answers.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Name the steps of the scientific method in order
  • 2Explain what makes an experiment a fair test
  • 3Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables
  • 4Use evidence to draw a clear conclusion
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Mini Lesson

Scientists use the scientific method to answer questions about the world. It is a step-by-step process that turns curiosity into evidence. Each step builds on the one before it, and a good scientist can repeat the process to refine an idea.

The Five Steps

  1. Question — ask a clear, testable question about something you observe.
  2. Hypothesis — predict what you think will happen and why.
  3. Experiment — test the hypothesis with a fair, careful procedure.
  4. Data — record measurements and observations as you go.
  5. Conclusion — explain what the data shows, using evidence.

What Makes a Fair Test

A fair test changes only one thing at a time. That way, you know which change caused the result. Scientists call the things they change, measure, and keep the same the variables of the experiment.

  • Independent variable — the one thing you change on purpose.
  • Dependent variable — what you measure to see the effect.
  • Controlled variables — everything else you keep the same.

Example: Do Plants Grow Taller in Sunlight?

  • Independent: amount of sunlight (full sun vs. shade).
  • Dependent: plant height after two weeks.
  • Controlled: same plant species, same soil, same water, same pot size.
  • Conclusion is only fair if every other condition stayed the same.
The Scientific MethodThe Scientific Method1QuestionAsk atestable Q2HypothesisPredict anoutcome3ExperimentTest withfair steps4DataRecordresults5ConclusionExplainwith evidenceRepeat and refineA fair test changes only one variable at a time
What Makes a Fair TestWhat Makes a Fair Test?IndependentVariableWhat you changeDependentVariableWhat you measureControlledVariableWhat stays sameExample: Do plants grow taller in sunlight?Independent: amount of sunlightDependent: plant height after 2 weeksControlled: water, soil, pot, plant type
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Tip: if more than one thing changes between trials, you cannot tell which change caused the result. Change one variable, keep the rest the same.

Vocabulary
hypothesis
A prediction about what will happen, based on what you already know.
fair test
An experiment that changes only one variable at a time.
independent variable
The one thing the scientist changes on purpose.
dependent variable
What the scientist measures to see the effect.
controlled variable
Everything else that is kept the same so the test is fair.
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Guided Practice

Write 2-3 sentences explaining what you have learned. Use at least 5 of the vocabulary words below.
hypothesisexperimentconclusionindependentdependentcontrolledfair testevidencedata
📝 Words: 0 / 30🔤 Vocabulary used: 0 / 5
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Exercises

Sort each example into the correct step of the scientific method.

1. Question

2. Hypothesis

3. Experiment

4. Data

5. Conclusion

Match each science term to its meaning.

Pick the best answer for each question.

1. Which step of the scientific method comes FIRST?

2. A hypothesis is best described as...

3. You change the amount of sunlight a plant gets to see how it grows. Sunlight is the...

4. In the same plant experiment, the plant's height after 2 weeks is the...

5. Which of these would NOT be a fair test?

6. After running an experiment, what should you do with your data?

7. A controlled variable is...

8. Which question is the MOST testable in a science experiment?

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Assessment

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