Grade 07 Science - EC: S7.A.1.3.1
Grade 07 Science - EC: S7.A.1.3.1
Continuum of Activities
The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.
This continuum of activities offers:
- Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
- Questions/activities that grow in complexity
- Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance
Grade Levels
7th Grade
Course, Subject
Science
Related Academic Standards / Eligible Content
Activities
- Define independent variable.
- Define dependent variable.
- Define a controlled or constant variable.
- Collin wants to know how the amount of salt added to water will affects its boiling point. What is the independent variable in Collin’s experiment? What is the dependent variable? What is one controlled or constant variable?
- Tessa wonders if the temperature of a room affects student test scores. What is the independent variable in Tessa’s experiment? What is the dependent variable? What is one controlled or constant variable?
- Brittany wants to know if the growth of her hair is affected by the shampoo she uses. What is the independent variable in Brittany’s experiment? What is the dependent variable? What is one controlled or constant variable?
- How are the independent variable and the dependent variable related in an experiment?
- What do you predict would happen if a researcher tested more than one independent variable in the same experiment?
Answer Key/Rubric
- An independent variable is the part of the experiment that the researcher changes.
- A dependent variable is what the researched is expecting to change. This is what the researcher is measuring.
- A controlled or constant variable is something that the researcher keeps constant, or the same, throughout the entire experiment.
- Independent variable: amount of salt added to water
Dependent variable: boiling point of water
Acceptable controlled or constant variable responses may include, but are not limited to: pot used to hold and boil water, stove used to boil water, amount of water
- Independent variable: temperature of room
Dependent variable: student test score
Acceptable controlled or constant variable responses may include, but are not limited to: test, time of day, room, student(s)
- Independent variable: type of shampoo
Dependent variable: hair growth
Acceptable controlled or constant variable responses may include, but are not limited to: amount of shampoo used, temperature of water, time spent washing and rinsing hair
- Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
- The researcher changes the independent variable.
- The researcher measures the dependent variable.
- The researcher is expecting the dependent variable to change.
- The dependent variable changes based on the independent variable.
- Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
- Only one independent variable should be tested in an experiment.
- All other variables should be kept constant.
- If an experiment has more than one independent variable, the data is unreliable.
- The researcher cannot distinguish which independent variable caused the dependent variable to change.
