RaubMiddle School

Planning Your Procedure and Selecting Your Materials

The procedure is a detailed, step-by-step set of instructions on how to prepare and carry out your experiment. These should be written so that the experiment can be recreated by anyone who reads your procedure. Write the procedure as you do the steps of your experiment for the first time (this might be your practice run). Be very specific. Don't assume that the reader knows how much, how many, or how long something should happen. The procedure should be written as a numbered list of steps, not a narrative.

The procedure must include a list of materials needed for the experiment, including tools and instruments to be used. 

Have someone else try to follow the steps without your help to see if you need to add some details. 

Example:

Materials 

Solar oven

Small clear plastic container with lid

Glass stick thermometer

water

1000mL or larger measuring cup

Procedure

1. Fill plastic container with 1000 mL of water.

2. Cut a small slit in the lid and slide the thermometer through the slit.

3. Put the lid tightly on the container of water making sure that the bulb of the thermometer is fully submerged in the water.

4. Place the water container in the solar oven.

5. Write down the starting temperature of the water.

6. Place the solar oven in a sunny spot outside where it will not be disturbed.

7. Check the water temperature after two hours.

8. Do steps 1-7 at three different times during the day-Morning (8:00am-10:00), Mid Day (12:00pm-2:00pm) and late afternoon (4:00pm-6:00pm).

9. Compare the temperature change at each of these times.

10. Note the weather conditions and outside temperature at each water temperature recording as well.

11. Do 4 additional trials of this experiment on 4 separate days and log all results.