Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the concept of scientific hypothesis and be able to create your own hypotheses.
Materials and Prep
- Paper
- Pencils or crayons
No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.
Activities
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Start by explaining to the student what a hypothesis is - a possible explanation or prediction based on observations and knowledge.
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Ask the student to observe an object or phenomenon of their choice and come up with a hypothesis about it. For example, if they choose a plant, their hypothesis could be: "If I give the plant more sunlight, then it will grow taller."
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Have the student write down their hypothesis on a piece of paper.
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Encourage the student to test their hypothesis by conducting an experiment. For the plant example, they can place one plant in a sunny spot and another in a shady spot to see if the one in the sunny spot grows taller.
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After the experiment, ask the student to observe the results and compare them to their hypothesis.
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Discuss with the student whether their hypothesis was supported or not based on the results of the experiment.
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Repeat the process with different objects or phenomena, allowing the student to come up with new hypotheses and conduct experiments.
Kindergarten Grade Talking Points
- "A hypothesis is like a guess or prediction we make based on what we see and know."
- "We can use our imagination and observations to come up with different hypotheses."
- "When we have a hypothesis, we can test it by doing an experiment."
- "An experiment helps us see if our hypothesis is right or wrong."
- "We can learn a lot by making and testing hypotheses!"