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Fantastic Ideas for Teaching the Scientific Method

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Are you teaching the scientific method to your students? The first science lesson to start fourth grade while I was in the classroom was about the scientific method.  It was the foundation for our labs and hands-on activities.  We used the scientific method daily.  Because of that, my students needed to know it and understand it to be able to use it. 

Teaching science is one of the most exciting parts of an elementary school classroom! Young students are naturally curious, making them perfect little scientists. But to help them explore and understand the world, they need to learn one of the most important tools in science: the Scientific Method.

The scientific method helps students think like real scientists. It encourages them to ask questions, test ideas, and solve problems in a structured way. But how do you introduce this process to elementary students in a way that’s fun, engaging, and meaningful?

6 ideas for teaching the scientific method  pinterest pin shows a teacher behind a student completing a lab

I figured I would share a few tips, lessons, and activities that I found helpful when teaching the scientific method. 

What is the scientific method?

The scientific method is a series of steps scientists use to answer questions and investigate the world. Even though it’s used by grown-up scientists, it’s easy to break down into simple steps for kids:

Steps of the scientific method image:
1. observe and ask questions
2. form a hypothesis
3. plan the experiment
4. conduct the experiment
5. analyze and draw conclusions
6. share findings

Introduce Vocabulary

In teaching any new topic (or new for the school year) we should begin with a vocabulary review.  I created a freebie as part of my science content vocabulary acquisition line for the scientific method.  This freebie aims to have students own the vocabulary and understand it.  They will focus on the steps of the scientific method and learn the parts before putting it to use. Click below to get the freebie!

Scientific Method Freebie

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    What comes next when teaching the scientific method?

    After our thorough vocabulary lesson, I like to put what they have learned into practice with a quick lab or hands-on activity.  Many quick, easy, and engaging science experiments can be used to teach the scientific method.  I typically did this quick and easy Rock Observation Lab which is in my TpT store.  I like to pick something fairly quick and relatively easy so that the students can navigate it without great difficulty. Another one I did was a simple sink or float lab. Students would bring in an object from home and we would test to see if they would sink or float in water. The key is to keep it simple while introducing the scientific method.

    Text says: Teacher and student directions: a quick and engaging lab to teach the steps of the scientific method.  Two worksheets are pictured that include directions
    Text says: student sheets
3 student sheets for rock observation lab are pictured

    Revisit and Reinforce

    The steps of the scientific method were always on display in my classroom.  I used this poster set that I created. The posters were laminated for durability and I placed them in an area the students could see.  (please note that the poster set doesn’t include the 6th step of sharing findings)  

    image shows scientific method posters

    Fun Tips for Teaching the Scientific Method

    Here are a few extra ideas to make teaching the scientific method more engaging and effective:

    • Use Visuals: Display posters or anchor charts with each step of the scientific method in your classroom. Visual cues help students remember the process.
    • Incorporate Real-World Examples: Find examples in everyday life where the scientific method is used. Discuss how doctors, engineers, or chefs use it to solve problems.
    • Make it Hands-On: Kids learn best by doing. Incorporate simple experiments like making slime, testing how far different paper airplanes fly, or investigating which types of soil plants grow best in.
    • Integrate Cross-Curricular Learning: The scientific method can be connected to other subjects like math (measuring and graphing), writing (hypothesis and conclusions), and reading (researching and understanding texts).

    As I said before, the key to teaching the scientific method is to revisit the topic of the scientific method constantly.  It should be something that the students own.  However, I remind my students that the scientific method is evolving and isn’t rigid.  There are steps we may repeat.  We may start in different places.  There are also steps we may omit.     How do you teach the scientific method?

     

    My name is Jen and I’m the face behind Endeavors in Education.

    I have a passion for ELA and science. I am even STEM certified. Now I spend my time hanging with my kids, blogging (endeavorsined.com), and creating for my TpT store Endeavors in Education.

    I’m so happy you’ve joined me on this journey!

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