Section outline

  • Learning Intention: I am learning to...

    • Develop a methodology to conduct a fair test

    • Use information from primary and secondary sources to help predict results

    •     Identify the difference between independent, dependent and control variables


    Success Criteria: I can...

    • Assess whether an investigation is fair

    • Identify how to conduct a 'fair test'

    • Research to understand the fundamental scientific principles involved in my investigation

    • A.  Aim: My investigative question is...    


      To determine . . . 

                                                   (who, what, when, where, why, how, etc...)


      B.  This is how I will test my question...    (draft your sequenced procedure here...)


      Remember, someone should be able to follow your procedure to duplicate your experiment.  Please remember to specify how many times your experiment should be repeated.


      1. Write your detailed, step-by-step procedure here...

      2. Remember to use precise measurements.

      3.  Remember to repeat testing multiple times, for increased accuracy (fair test).

      4. Record findings in a table/chart.

      5. Graph results.


      C.  The control for my experiment is...  (where appropriate)

      Write your variables below…

      Independent Variable

      What you are going to change.

      Dependent Variable

      What you are going to measure.

      Control Variables

      All the things you are going to 

      keep the same to ensure a

      fair test.






      D.  Conducting a fair test is one of the most important ingredients of doing good, scientifically valuable

            experiments.  How will you ensure that you have developed a fair test.


      E.  My hypothesis...  (what do you predict will happen?)


      A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work.   

      Your hypothesis should be something that you can actually test, what's called a testable question. In other words, you need to be able to measure both "what you do" and "what will happen."

      Write your hypothesis 


      F.  Apparatus:  Equipment needed...