Lesson Plan 3: Forming Hypotheses

Objective: Students will understand the role and characteristics of hypotheses in scientific
investigations.

1. Warm-up Activity (10 minutes):

 Display a simple scientific question on the board (e.g., Does the amount of sunlight affect
plant growth?).
 Ask students to brainstorm possible explanations or guesses for the question.
2. Introduction (10 minutes):
 Explain that a hypothesis is an educated guess or a possible explanation for a scientific
question.
 Discuss the importance of hypotheses in guiding scientific investigations.
3. Example Analysis (15 minutes):
 Provide students with a sample scientific question (e.g., Does the temperature of water
affect how fast an ice cube melts?).
 Model the process of forming a hypothesis by proposing several hypotheses and
explaining why they are plausible or implausible.
4. Group Activity - "Hypothesis Formation" (20 minutes):
 Divide students into small groups and provide each group with a different scientific
question.
 Instruct the groups to work together to form hypotheses for their assigned questions.
 Encourage them to consider possible cause-and-effect relationships and draw on prior
knowledge.
5. Class Discussion (10 minutes):
 Have each group present their hypotheses to the class.
 Discuss the criteria for a good hypothesis, such as being testable, specific, and based on
evidence or reasoning.
6. Test (10 minutes):
 Administer a short quiz to assess students' understanding of hypotheses.
 The quiz can include questions that require students to evaluate and propose hypotheses
for given scenarios.
7. Homework Assignment:
 Assign students to design an experiment that tests one of the hypotheses generated in
class.