UNIT 1: DIVERSITY OF MATERIALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Module 1
Scientific Investigation
Learning Competency: Describe the components of a scientific investigation.
Objectives:
At the end of the module, the learner must be able to:
1. Identifying the methods for scientific investigation
2. Perform a scientific investigation
ACTIVITY: Word Search Puzzle
Good day! I hope you are doing fine today. Let’s play a game. Try to search the words that can be
found in the puzzle. Let’s make it more fun when you find the word put a color on it, any color will do.
Goodluck!
S C I E N T I F I C I N V I S T I G A T I O N
U D H B G D U A G H T F A F G H V F G G D W H
I E Y F H F H C H F H P R G B L E M F H F C G
O R P W J V G T N A F D I B H J D C D N G S N
K F O A K B P S M S F G A S F N F N S F B G M
M E T H O D E G K F H E B D F G U M A S M D L
L H H S M A N H L W R T L V S S G Y F F Y A H
P J E D G T H J U E Y G E X P E R I M E N T V
J K S F H A E M I E H D F A A T R G H F D N
H L I K H D N R O D U S C O N C L U S I O N T
O B S E R V A T I O N F H J H R U E J U H I U
Let’s discover more. I hope you enjoy the game. Now let’s have some learning about scientific method of
investigation. LET’S BEGIN!
SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION is a quest or it is a plan to find answers to a question using the
scientific method. Now, let us know what is scientific method, it is a systematic process or the
steps used by scientists to solve problems and uncover facts, the father of scientific method is
Francis Bacon. These are the scientific method:
Make an Observation
Ask question
Formulate Hypothesis
Performing Experiments
Analyze results
Draw conclusion
For now, read and find out how Dario, a first year high school student, acted like a scientist himself and
use the scientific method to discover and solve problems.
One day, Dario saw his grandmother gather an herb called makabuhay
(figure 1) from their backyard. He followed her into the kitchen
And asked what she about to do with the herb. Makabuhay, his grandmother said,
is often used to heal wounds. She said that she would cook the herb in coconut oil
and then used it as a poultice on wound on her leg.
Later, Dario noticed that the poultice did not stick long enough on the wound.
It either dripped or dried up and peeled off. His grandmother had to apply the Figure 1 Makabuhay
preparation repeatedly. After five days, the wound healed. Dario thought that the
wound would have healed faster if the poultice had stuck to the wound a little
longer. His inquisitive mind began its task of finding a way to make the poultice stay on
the skin longer.
Dario recalled that when melted candle dripped on the skin and cooled, it satyed in place. He then
considered mixing melted candle wax into the oily poultice to find out if it could be made to stay longer on
longer on the wound. He told his grandmother about this and was further told that the herbal preparation could
be easily applied while still bearably hot.
Subsequently, they experimented on the preparation only to find out that when it cooled off, it soon
hardened and was soon difficult to apply.
In school, Dario consulted his science teacher. She suggested that he try using beeswax instead of candle wax
because beeswax is softer. At home, Dario eagerly applied heat to the oily herbal medicine and gradually
mixed in the beeswax. The result was a substance that managed to remain soft even while cooling off. He
called this an ointment. This soft ointment would surely stay longer on the skin when applied, he cheerfully
concluded.
He then proceeded to test this assumption by recommending its use to some person who had skin
disorders. At the same time, he allowed others to use his grandmother’s oil preparation. He advised his
“patients” to apply the recommended medicine using the same time interval and applying the same amount
each time.
He diligently kept a record of the progress of his patients. Soon he noted that the skin disorders treated
with the softer mixture healed faster than those treated with his grandmother’s preparation.
On the recommendation of his class, Dario entered his study as an investigatory project in his school’s
Science Fair and won First Prize.
Dario’s experiment may be too simple and ordinary but he solved his problem in a systematic manner.
METHODS FOR SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION (SCIENTIFIC METHOD)
1. Make an Observation
The first scientific method is to make an observation- observation refers to the using of five senses, the
sense of sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste or with instruments and measuring devices like microscope,
telescope, and thermometers that enhance human senses. By observing you will able to arise different
questions or to see lots of problems in nature as like scientists you are curious, questions starting in Wh
questions and How will arise. Why sky is blue? What makes water freezers and as you are doing this you are
observing and as you are observing you will discover something and see a lot of problems.
For example, based on Dario’s scenario, he himself became curious and uses his senses to observe.
As he continuously curious he observes that the poultice made by his grandmother would not stick long
enough to the wound which he thought that if the poultice had stuck to the wound a little longer the wound
would have healed faster which lead him in identifying the problem.
2. Identify a Problem
After your observation this leads you in identifying the problem. You must know what do you want find
out or what issue do you want to work on. It's important to Formulate a question that can be answered in a
measurable way or the solution to this problem must be attainable or possible. In stating the problem, it must in
a question form and it must be specific as possible. Beginning the question with 'what,' 'how' or 'why' is a good
start.
For example, Dario’s problem is, how to make an herbal preparation that would stay long in contact
with the wound?
3. Formulate the Hypothesis
After you identify and state your problem, the next step is the formulation of your hypothesis.
Hypothesis is an educated guess or statement these guess can be tested by performing an
experiment. Through formulating your hypothesis this will guide you on what experiment or test you need to
conduct to find answers to your problem. It means it is possible to subject to a test or an experiment that gives
evidence that your hypothesis is correct or wrong.
For, example in Dario’s problem the hypotheses will be
a. Mixing the oily herbal medicine with wax will allow longer contact between the medicine and the
wound
b. Using beeswax instead of candle wax will result to a softer ointment that will not harden when
cooled off
c. Using the beeswax-oil-herbal preparation will allow longer contact with the wound and promote
faster healing.
Note: Before the hypothesis can be accepted as a fact it has to be proven to be true in experiment.
4. Conduct an Experiment
An experiment is a procedure that tests a hypothesis by the process of collecting information
under controlled conditions.
Experiments involved two groups:
1. The control group- is a condition where conditions are kept the same.
2. Experimental group- is the test group in which all conditions are kept the same except for the
single condition being tested.
For example, in Dario’s experiment the control group was the herbal medicine without wax and the
experimental group were the different combinations of wax and herbal medicine.
In an experiment
