GoalKnow who a researcher is, the steps of a research (question, guess, collecting information, experiment, conclusion) and where information can be found.
New words
researcher · tadqiqotchihypothesis (a guess to be tested) · gipotezaexperiment · tajribaconclusion · xulosa
Explanation
A researcher is a person who asks a question and looks for the answer in order to learn something new. The great scholar Abu Ali ibn Sino (Avicenna) worked this way: he observed illnesses, read many books, did experiments and wrote down the results. Research usually starts with a question such as “Why?” or “How?”. Then a hypothesis, a guess that can be tested, is stated. Information can come from observation, books and films, the teacher and other people, and experiments. At the end the results are written down and a conclusion is drawn. A hypothesis is not always right; that is useful too, because it leads to a new question. A good researcher is curious, patient, careful and thinks logically.
Worked examples
Question: “Why does the plant in the room bend toward the window?” Hypothesis: “The plant reaches toward the light.” Experiment: put the pot in a different corner for a week and note which way it bends.
Sources of information: our own observation, an encyclopedia, the teacher, adults, a science film and an experiment.
Class activity
“My research”: each pupil writes one “Why?” question (for example, why do worms come out after rain?), states a hypothesis and plans how to test it. A few read theirs aloud.
Practice
1
Who is a researcher?
A person who asks a question and looks for the answer by observing, reading and experimenting.
2
What is a hypothesis?
A guess that can be tested.
3
Put the research steps in the right order: conclusion, question, experiment, hypothesis.
question, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion
4
Where can information come from? Name three sources.
For example: a book, the teacher, observation, a film, an experiment.