Vocabulary
What do we call information gathered by observing, questioning, or measuring?
Data
What is bias in an investigation?
Any personal thoughts, feelings, or expectations that influence an investigation
What word describes data that shows something is true?
Evidence
In a controlled experiment where one plant gets sunlight and another is in a dark cupboard, which is the manipulated variable?
Sunlight
What is the word for a study, experiment, or exploration?
Investigation
True or false: Bias always means someone is trying to be dishonest. Explain briefly.
False— bias can be unconscious
Why should a scientist include units (like cm or m) when sharing measurements?
Units tell scale and avoid confusion
In the same plant experiment (both watered the same), which is a controlled variable?
Water (since both watered same) or other kept-same conditions
Name the variable that changes because the scientist changed something (the effect).
Responding (dependent) variable
In a survey about favourite snacks, the question lists only pizza, apples, and carrots. What kind of bias might this cause?
Selection bias (limited choices)
If you measure every student's height but only share a chart that says "none over 2 m," what important detail might be missing?
It may omit that data only applies to this class (scope) or exact heights — lacks context/units
What is the responding (dependent) variable in the plant experiment described above?
Growth/condition of plant
What do we call an investigation in which one variable is changed and all others are kept the same?
Controlled experiment
List two things a student could do to reduce their own bias when measuring plant growth.
Remove yourself from measurements, have a partner double-check, or rotate tasks.
Name three different ways to represent data so others can understand it.
Charts, bar graphs, pictographs, line graphs, tables
Give one change you could make to the "warm and cool water" experiment to make results more reliable.
Repeat trials, swap dye colours, control temperatures, or use multiple groups
Give the definition of "phenomena" and one classroom example.
Phenomena = facts or events that can be observed (example: lightning, sunrise).
Read this short scenario and say whether bias is likely: A student who loves chocolate gives extra attention to the plant they think will win. Explain why.
Yes — preferred outcome causes extra attention and may change results.
Explain why leaving out some data when reporting results can mislead the audience. Include a simple example.
Omitting data can change the message (e.g., leaving out low scores makes an experiment look more successful).
A student writes in their lab notes that warm water "always" rises, but they ran the test only once. Explain why this claim may not be valid and what the student should do to strengthen their conclusion.
Claim may be premature — run repeated trials, collect more data, and report limits of the conclusion.