Using this Scientific Method Activity Booklet, studentsfollow the scientific method when conducting an experiment or proving a hypothesis.
Ask, guess, test, tell!
First graders learn that scientists answer questions by testing them. They follow simple steps: ask a question ("Will it sink or float?"), make a guess called a prediction, test it, watch carefully, and share what happened. They draw and write what they see, count and compare results, and learn that a wrong guess is still good science. The click moment comes when a child says "I thought it would sink, but it floated! Why?" That question is where real science begins.
Simple steps and lots of hands-on testing turn little kids into real scientists.
Walk through one experiment together and fill in a scientific method booklet page by page: question, prediction, test, results. Doing the steps together the first time makes the next experiment easier to do alone.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withScientific Method Activity BookletWorksheetsOpen it →Set out a tub of water and objects like a cork, a coin, a crayon and a leaf. Kids predict, test and sort each one onto a sink or float chart. It's the perfect first experiment.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
After each test, kids tell a partner one result that surprised them. Talking about surprises helps them think about why things happened.
Why it works: when kids say the precise math words, their understanding gets sharper, a recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Teacher favorites right now: Scientific Method Activity Booklet.
Sink or float, melting ice, mixing colors, and rolling cars down ramps are all great. They're safe, quick and easy to observe.
Use four simple steps: ask, guess, test and tell. Repeat the same steps with every experiment so kids learn the routine.
A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen. It's fine if it turns out to be wrong; that's how scientists learn.
Use what you have, like water, ice, food coloring and toys. Ask your child to predict first, then test it together.
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