Mini-Lesson

Scientific Method

Grades 4-6

Objective: Students will identify steps of the scientific method in a news story.

1. Pass out the latest timeforkids.com news story, A Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy Web . Tell students that the story is about a scientific mystery. Have students read the headline, subhead and first paragraph. Ask: What is the mystery? (How was such a large spider web formed?)

2. Explain that scientists use the scientific method to solve mysteries like this one. The first step is to identify a mystery, or a question. The next step is to come up with a hypothesis, or a smart guess. Challenge students to find two different hypotheses as they read the article.

3. Discuss the hypotheses presented in the article. Ask: How will the scientists test their hypotheses? What do you think the answer to the mystery will be?

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SITE SET: Scientific Method Use this set of topic-based online resources to supplement this mini-lesson. Additional resources available at www.eduhound.com