NAME: ______DATE: ______BLOCK: ____

It is a busy Monday morning. Your toast just popped out of the toaster. You butter it. You are putting grape jelly on it. Then it happens. As you are picking up the toast up, it slides off the table and lands jelly side down on the floor! !%!#@#$ Another typical Monday! Why does toast always seem to land jelly side down? Or does it always land jelly side down? How could you find out? In this lab you will test a factor that affects whether jelly bread lands jelly side down or jelly side up. You will design your own experiment.

Step 1: You must first decide what variable you want to investigate. We will begin by brainstorming for ideas as a class.

BRAINSTORM: WHAT QUESTIONS COULD YOU INVESTIGATE?

Step 2: Select ONE problem to investigate for your lab (use one from our brainstorm session or make up a new one). Identify the independent and dependent variables. Look at the example below. PROBLEM/QUESTION: Example: Is toast or bread more likely to land jelly side down? Independent variable: type of bread (toasted or not toasted) Dependent variable: the landing (jelly side up or down)

Step 3: Develop a hypothesis (or prediction) based on your question. See the example below. HYPOTHESIS: Toast is more likely to land jelly side down while bread is more likely to land jelly side up.

Step 4: Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. You must have a good experimental design. Your experiment you must have controlled conditions such as dropping the bread from the same height, using the same amount of jelly, and spreading the jelly equally etc. Your experiment must also include 3 trails for each condition. Remember, a good experiment has only one independent variable! You will write your procedure for your experiment (see example procedure below). You will also design a table to record your data (see example table). Remember, your goal is to figure out what affect your variable has on how jelly bread lands when dropped.

EXAMPLE PROCEDURE 1. Pick 6 slices of bread from the main supply. Make sure that each piece of bread is the same size and type. For example, do not use the crust piece. 2. Evenly and equally spread 1 tsp. of jelly onto each of the 3 slices of bread. 3. Place “drop paper” on floor to minimize the mess! 4. Drop the first slice of bread exactly one meter above floor. 5. Record whether bread lands jelly side down or jelly side up. 6. Repeat steps 4-5 with the other two slices of bread. Be sure to drop each piece in exactly the same manner. 7. Put 3 slices of bread into toaster and toast on medium for 1 minute. 8. Allow toast to cool to room temperature. 9. Evenly and equally spread 1 tsp. of jelly onto 3 slices of toast. 10. Drop the first slice of toast exactly one meter above floor. 11. Record whether toast lands jelly side down or jelly side up. 12. Repeat steps 10-11 with the other two slices of toast.

EXAMPLE DATA TABLE

Jelly side up or Trial down? Bread Toast 1 up down 2 up down 3 down down

Step 5: Now it is your turn. Fill out the “Jelly Experimental Design” sheet. Have Mrs. Flick check your “Jelly Experimental Design” sheet and sign it BEFORE you begin your experiment!

Step 6: Perform your experiment and then write a brief summary of your results (3-5 sentences). Each person must write his or her own summary! Do NOT copy! Turn in your “Jelly Experimental Design” sheet to Mrs. Flick. You will be graded on your experimental design, accurate completion of the “Jelly Experimental Design” sheet, and the analysis of data in your summary. NAME: ______

GROUP MEMBERS: ______

Problem/Question:

Independent Variable:

Dependent Variable:

Hypothesis:

Procedure: Data Table:

Mrs. Flick’s signature needed before you begin experiment

Summary