7th Grade Summer Practice Scientific Method

Practice Part 1: Before you begin, please visit the website below to review the steps
of The Scientific Method.
http://misterguch.brinkster.net/scientificmethod.html
Part 2: Next, use the list to determine what step of the scientific method is being
used. Write the letter in the appropriate space.
a. state a conclusion
b. analyze data

d. gather data
c. state a problem

c. predict

d. observe and

record data
______ 1. Carol read about the dangers of food spoilage at the library. She presented her
information to the group.
______ 2. Julie stated that they should investigate the effect on chicken bouillon on
three techniques for preserving food.
______ 3. Jon held each of the three test tubes up to the light and wrote down what he
saw.
______ 4. Mark stated that if he had to make a guess, he thought test tube 2 would
preserve the broth best.
______ 5. Maria made a graph that showed how the broth in the three test tubes had
changed over the two weeks of the experiment.
______ 6. Daniel stated that the results showed that test tube 3

Independent and Dependent Variable Practice

The independent variable is the one being tested. Its the one thing you make different
between tests. The dependent variable is the result. It is what you measure at the end of
the experiment.
1. The higher the temperature of water, the faster an egg will cook.
IV
DV
2. An investigation was done to see if keeping the lights on for different amounts of
time each day affected the number of eggs chickens lay.
IV
DV
3. The time it takes to run a kilometer depends on the amount of exercise a person
gets.
IV
DV
4. Grass will grow taller if it is watered and fertilized a great deal.
IV
DV
5. An investigation was performed to see if corn seeds would sprout at different
times depending on the temperature of the air in which they were placed.
IV
DV
6. The amount of algae growth in lakes seems to be directly related to the number of
sacks of
phosphate fertilizer sold by the local merchants.
IV
DV
7. Lemon trees receiving the most water produce the largest lemons.
IV
DV
8. The amount of pollution produced by cars was measured for cars using gasoline
containing different amounts of lead.
IV
DV
9. Students in a science class carried out an investigation in which a flashlight was
pointed at a screen. They wanted to find out if the distance from the light to the
screen had any effect on the size of the illuminated area.
IV
DV

10. The score on the final test depended on the number of study questions the student
completed.
IV DV