by Stefany Smith

Created on: May 27, 2010   Last Updated: May 28, 2010

The scientific process is not something that can be taught in one lesson, or even in one unit. It is a concept that must be introduced in context repeatedly to sink in. The very best way to teach the process is by using it in context. The following lesson plan uses a simple scientific experiment to present a mini lesson on the scientific process.

Begin by explaining the steps of the scientific process. A chart would be helpful, but is not necessary; you can view a diagram

here.  All scientific inquiry begins with a question. What better way to find a question than in your science material? Children are naturally curious minded and will eventually ask questions beyond the curriculum. When my daughters were learning the difference between acids and bases they naturally wondered how the two would act together. You can use any situation you’d like, but for this mini lesson we will use an experiment of this nature.

Let’s learn about the scientific process while creating a bubble bomb, using vinegar (acid) and baking soda (base).

After a scientist develops a question, he researches the topic and formulates an educated guess. The question is called an inquiry. The research is known as gathering background information. The guess is the scientist’s hypothesis. These make up the first two steps of the scientific process; determining the problem (forming a question) and developing a hypothesis.

After giving your students a little background information on acids and bases ask them what they think would happen if you placed an acid and a base in a zip lock baggie. Use a dry erase board, chalk board, or a clean sheet of notebook paper to write out each step. Have your students write out the question and their hypothesis.

Now it’s time for the experiment. You can explain that this is the third step of the scientific process: testing your hypothesis. Every good scientist must test his hypothesis no matter how sure of it he is. For the bubble bomb you will need a gallon size baggie, with ½ cup vinegar and ¼ cup warm water. You will also need a paper towel with 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda. Get the full experiment here. Place the paper towel packet in the bag, zip it closed completely, shake a few times then set it down and back up.

Watching what takes place is known as observation. This is one of several methods of collecting data, which is the fourth step of the scientific process. While this experiment isn’t too extensive, encourage your students to take note of their observations. This will help them practice or future applications of the process.

The fifth step of the scientific process is to analyze your data and draw a conclusion. Was your hypothesis correct? Was it wrong? Again, have your students fill in their response to this step. Along with this step, many scientists chose to publish their findings using graphs, charts, diagrams, and reports. For this simple experiment this extension would be burdensome; however, introduce the concept to your students for future use.

Another important thing to remember here is that if a scientist finds that his hypothesis was wrong he usually revisits his original question, conducts more extensive background research, and develops a new hypothesis to test. Sometimes when he is right, he will further delve into the original question, tweaking the parameters of the experiment to find its limits. 

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