In the late 1700s, Edward Jenner applied the scientific method and discovered that injecting people with cowpox prevented them from acquiring smallpox—leading to the first vaccine. In the fourth video of the series, individuals listen to a history of the people and thought processes behind the scientific method. The instructor then explains and gives examples of each step in the process, focusing on the example of playing music for plants to see if it affects growth.

Concepts

the scientific method, hypotheses, conclusions, data analysis, independent variables, dependent variables

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have learners apply the scientific method to a question of their own and complete the experiment
• Search for a fun, simple, and easy experiments on the Internet that teachers can use in class to support the scientific method

Classroom Considerations

• Pupils should already know this process, so the video best fits on a day spent reviewing and utilizing the scientific method

Pros

• Video uses high-quality images
• Great, simple definitions of independent and dependent variables, which some may struggle to understand

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.11-12.3