Scientific Method Biology Lesson: Experimental Design Activity

A complete experimental design lesson for US high school biology, grades 9-12, built around Francesco Redi’s 1668 test of whether meat makes its own maggots.

Students follow Redi as he asks a question, states a hypothesis and sets up open, sealed and gauze-covered jars. They then pick out the independent variable, the dependent variable and the control group, and explain why a larger sample size and replication make a conclusion easier to trust.

The figure shows the number of open, sealed and gauze-covered jars where maggots appeared on the meat. It is labeled sample data for teaching. Vocabulary: hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, sample size and replication.

Open with First Look, which asks how you would test where the maggots came from. Teach with the slides and Field Notes, give students the Field Study, and close with Last Look. A home educator can run it one-on-one with the same materials.

The download has 6 PDFs (13 pages) and one editable PowerPoint file.

NGSS: HS-LS1-3. Part of Fieldmark Biology’s Studying Life unit.

Included in the ZIP download:

• First Look (bell ringer): a one-page opening activity.
• Field Notes (guided notes): 3 pages of student notes to use with the slides.
• Field Study (reading and activity): a 3-page packet with the reading, comprehension questions, vocabulary and figure analysis.
• Last Look (exit ticket): a 1-page closing check.
• Teacher Key: 3 pages of answers plus the Lesson at a Glance plan.
• PowerPoint: 11 slides with speaker notes.
• Start Here: a 2-page introduction and terms of use.