Homeschooling 101

Lesson 4: Insider Secrets

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method is a systematic way to find answers to questions, while minimizing the influence of the scientist's bias on the outcome of an experiment. It can be used, no matter which type of science you choose. However, the scientific method will not work for all situations.

Depending on who you talk to, the Scientific Method can consists of five to eight parts. The method that we use in our homeschool is one I grabbed from somewhere on the net last year. (Sorry, but I don’t remember where. I have a bad habit of grabbing what I need and not thinking to note where I found it.)

1. Question: Make observations and develop your question. The question should be about what you are interested in learning or what you want to know.
2. Hypothesis: State your hypothesis. Your hypothesis is your educated guess about what you think will happen.
3. Method: The method is the process or steps of your experiment. This should be very detailed and include materials needed.
4. Results: The results are the facts or data that you collect from your experiment.
5. Conclusion: In the conclusion, you explain why you think the experiment happened the way it did. Include whether the results supported your hypothesis or not.

I made “lab sheets” for my kids. Anytime we do a science project, we each grab a lab sheet and follow the scientific method! You can find a copy of the lab sheet in the Recommended Resources section of lesson four.

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