Hypothesis and Variables/Lesson Document

What this resource offers the teacher and the learner

For the learner:

• discussion on hypothesis and variables in preparation for ISA GCSE exam
• graph plotting experience
• team work producing posters

For the teacher:

• descriptions and examples of different types of data (continuous and catergoric)
• useful worksheet on variables and hypothesis
• preparation of students for their GCSE ISA exam

How to use in this resource

This lesson involves small group work and individual tasks. Here is an example lesson plan:

• 5 minutes - teacher led starter – use of example for continuous and catergoric data File:Continuous data.ppt.
• 20 minutes - students fill in poster template in groups. They should produce one poster per investigation (5 investigations presented). Differentiation by outcome – different groups will produce different number of posters File:Poster template.pdf.
• 5 minutes - Assessment by students – compare their posters with another group – improve their work.
• 20 minutes - students plot graphs from provided data (individual work). Differentiation by outcome, up to 5 graphs can be plotted File:Mixed data.pdf.
• 10 minutes – plenary – teacher led – presentation of students graphs and discussion on the hypothesis and type of graph used to depict the results.

How does it support students’ learning of the particular topic? This is one of two lessons preparing the students for the ISA GCSE exam. It develops the idea of hypothesis to explain observations. A hypothesis can be thought of as a best guess or a proposal intended to explain information already available. Enable students to understand the need for different type of graphs to present different type of data. What kind(s) of learning might it support? (eg collaborative / enquiry-based / revision / exploration / hands-on experience from which concepts can be built / consolidation / extension to new more challenging problems / argumentation or reasoning skills... any or all of these?)

The poster template is a collaborative learning. The graph plotting is a hands-on experience learning. Plan who will be in each group for the poster work. Help students who struggle with the graph plotting. The concept of hypothesis might be unfamiliar to students. Some students will struggle to plot continuous data graphs. Students will become familiar with scientific terminology. They will be ready for the GCSE exam. Students will collaborate in the class activities during the lesson.

SC0051=What this resource offers the teacher and the learner=

For the learner:

• exposure to the scientific terms used in scientific investigations and in ISA exams
• activities to become familiar with scientific terminology
• opportunity to use scientific terminology before the GCSE ISA exams

For the teacher:

• a fun way to cover scientific terminology (a topic that is not as exiting as most science topics)
• preparation of students for their GCSE ISA exam

How to use in this resource

Most of the lesson is based around students working in pairs or groups. Here is an example lesson plan:

• 5 minutes - student based starter – anagrams of a few terms File:Anagrams.ppt.
• 20 minutes - activity to familiarise with some of the terms – students have to find their pair (one student has a card with a term, the other with the description).
• Assessment by students – using the AQA Glossary of terms page.
• 10 minutes – teacher introduces some of the pairs and their terms to the class, reinforcing understanding by examples and graphs drawn on the board.
• 15 minutes – student group work - play Taboo with cards containing most of the terms.
• 10 minutes – plenary – crossword of the terms and free writing activity for the more advanced students.

How this resource support students’ learning

This is one of two lessons preparing students for the ISA GCSE exam. It covers a ‘dry’ topic – scientific terms. Students would have learned some or most of the terms in the regular science lessons; this lesson gathers previous knowledge and adds new terms.

The pairing activity supports collaborative learning. The taboo card game supports group consolidation learning. The plenary offers challenge and hands-on experience of how to use the terms.

A few terms are complex for students to understand. Good use of the AQA Glossary of terms pages can move the lesson (or a few struggling students) on. More able students can finish the task earlier – they can assist their colleagues or use the spare time to write free text using the terms. Comic writing can ease their use.

Care must be taken when discussing the terms continuous and categoric variables. Bearing in mind that continuous variables are quantitative whilst categoric variables are qualitative, pupils may initially choose to think of shoe size as a discrete/quantitative variable before thinking about it in the following terms - Shoe size is best defined as a categoric variable by considering the 'numerical value' i.e. size 6 etc as a 'label' rather than a meaningful measurement.