The Practice of Science: SC.5.N.1.1

Jane is investigating to find out if bean plants grow taller in ordinary topsoil or special potting soil over a three week period. She sets up her investigation with 10 bean plants of equal size in each type of soil. 
What should Jane do each day to make sure she gets valid results?

• A.  Water only the plants in special potting soil.
• A.  Calculate the average plant height for each soil type.
• A.  Move the plants in ordinary topsoil to different locations.
• Estimate the height of each plant's stem and record the estimate 

Sonya wanted to know if mowing affects the health of grass during a drought. To find out, she collected data on how often her neighbors mowed their grass.
Based on the information she collected, what is the BEST next step?

• Report her findings to her neighbors.
• Develop a plan to save everyone's lawns.
• Stop her neighbors from mowing their lawns
• Find out if other things might be affecting the grass.

1)  Thomas and Julie wanted to find out which material would insulate their teacher's coffee cup and keep the coffee hot for the longest period of time. They first wrapped her cup with bubble wrap and recorded the temperature of the coffee once every 15 minutes for 2 hours. They repeated the investigation, this time using newspaper instead of bubble wrap, but they got the same results for both materials.  
What could they do to make sure their results are valid?

• Repeat their experiment.
• Use teas instead of coffee.
• Use a different thermometer.
• Conduct their investigation in a colder room. 

1)  Brianna's class wants to determine if boys or girls recycled more paper each day. They set up separate recycling bins in the classroom and labeled them "Boys" and "Girls." The students then placed their paper items in the right bins.  
Which of the following should the students do each day before emptying the bins?

• Make lists of the different types of paper in each bin.
• Count and record the number of paper items recycled in each bin.  
• Make a list of which student recycled which paper item in each of the bins.
• Record their estimate of the number of times students placed items in each bin.

1)  Kevin wanted to find out which of his toy cars, the Corvette or the Mustang, would roll downhill faster. He made a ramp by putting several books under one end of a board so that the board was slanted.
Which would be the best way for him to perform his experiment?  

• Roll each car down the ramp separately five times and estimate which car looked faster.
• Roll both cars down the ramp together one time and see which one gets to the bottom first.  
• Roll each car down the ramp separately one time, and time them with the second hand on his watch.
• Roll both cars down the ramp together five times and record which gets to the bottom first each time.

Jonathan and Sarah have performed an experiment and are not sure their results are valid.
What should they do to check their results?

• average their data
• change their lab report
• perform a new experiment
• repeat the same experiment

The students in Miss Smith's class were using catapults to launch small and large marshmallows across the room. The table shows the distances in centimeters (cm) that the marshmallows traveled.
 of the following statements best describes the students' data?

• Small marshmallows travel an average of 9 centimeters
• Large marshmallows travel an average of more than 20 centimeters
• On average, small marshmallows travel farther than large marshmallows.
• A.  On average, large marshmallows go higher in the air than small marshmallows

During a recent drought, Sonya noticed some yards in her neighborhood were healthy and green, and some were mostly brown and dead. Sonya believes the difference has to do with how often her neighbors mow their grass.
What should Sonya do first to find out if she is right?

• A.  Ask her neighbors to cut their grass on the same schedule.
• Study other neighborhoods to see if there are similar problems.
• A.  Compare the neighbors' lawn mowers to see if there are similarities.
• Survey her neighbors about their mowing schedule and record the details

Jordan wants to find out if a hamster can learn a maze as quickly as a mouse can. She has researched mice and hamsters and predicts which rodent she thinks will learn more quickly.
What should her next step be?

• analyze hamster behavior in the maze
• A.  research how a rabbit would behave in a maze
• observe the behavior of both rodents in the maze
• A.  make conclusions about rodent behavior in the maze

1)  Stephen and his classmates are going on a field trip to a nature preserve. His teacher has told the class that when they return to school, they will be required to give a report on their trip and the animals and plants they saw while walking through the preserve.  
What is the BEST method Stephen can use to make sure he remembers everything he sees?

• He should bring a pad and pen to write down his observations.
• He should do research on the computer when he returns to class.
• He should ask his classmates to help him remember what he saw.
• He should look for a map of the nature preserve at the visitors' center.