While listening the Scientific Method Song (MP3), students learn about seven steps of the scientific method while listening to a catchy song.
Using this Scientific Method Activity Booklet, studentsfollow the scientific method when conducting an experiment or proving a hypothesis.
The New Inventions Magazine Worksheet lets 2nd graders name, draw and describe an invention of their own. An open-ended science and writing page that turns curiosity about inventors into real explaining practice.
Ask, guess, test, find out!
Second graders learn that scientists have a plan for finding answers. They ask a question, make a guess called a hypothesis, test it, watch what happens and share what they learned. A simple test like Which melts faster: ice in the sun or in the shade? turns the steps into something real. They also learn to change just one thing at a time so the test is fair. The click moment is when a child's guess turns out wrong and they say, "Let's test it again!"
Seven-year-olds are full of questions. These moves give them a real way to answer them.
The steps are easy to mix up, so put them to music. Play the song before each experiment and have kids hold up one finger per step as they sing. By the third experiment, they're reciting the steps without the music.
Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).
Try it withScientific Method Song (MP3)SongsOpen it →Run the first experiment as a class and think out loud at each step: "My question is… My guess is… Now I'll test it." Then let small groups run the next one with you nearby. Watching the whole process first helps kids follow it on their own.
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 →Instead of one big science fair, try a tiny five-minute experiment each week, like which paper towel soaks up the most water. Repeating the steps often, in small doses, makes the method automatic.
Why it works: the brain holds on to what it meets again and again over time; spaced practice was rated among the very best methods (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withNew Inventions Magazine WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Every question is a chance to experiment. These are kid favorites.
Teacher favorites right now: Scientific Method Song (MP3), Scientific Method Activity Booklet and New Inventions Magazine Worksheet.
Ask a question, make a hypothesis or guess, test it with an experiment, observe what happens and share the results. Some classes add "research" after asking the question.
A hypothesis is a smart guess about what will happen. For example, "I think the ice in the sun will melt first." The experiment checks whether the guess was right.
Try sink or float, melting ice in sun and shade, growing beans with and without light or testing which paper towel holds the most water. Each one is quick and easy to set up.
Yes! A wrong guess is still good science. Scientists learn just as much from guesses that don't work out, and kids should feel proud of testing their ideas.
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