Design a Lab

Using science labs in the classroom can inspire students to be creative and try new things, challenge students to use critical thinking, and encourage students to pursue a career in a STEM field.

Due to the importance of labs in a science class, it is important to understand which format to choose and which skills it promotes. Science lab formats do not have the same purpose. This makes choosing and designing labs a skill worth learning.

3 Steps to Design Your Lab Based on the Purpose

Step #1 Find an Experiment

Begin by finding a science experiment procedure that goes with your topic.

Sources for experiments:

Step #2 Decide on the Purpose of the Lab

Inquiry Lab Format: To encourage students to ask questions and wonder

Investigation Lab Format: To encourage students to discover the relationship between 2 variables

CER Lab Format: To encourage students to make an opinion based on supporting evidence from an experiment and be able to communicate how they formed that opinion

Model Format: To encourage students to make sense of a concept, system, or interacting systems and then be able to manipulate it to see patterns and make predictions

Design & Engineering Format: To encourage students to understand the components of a problem, assess current solutions, and adjust or create new solutions based on a set of requirements

Step #3 Shape the Lab to Match the Purpose

The directions and writeup should be shaped based on the purpose of the lab.

Look at the procedure and determine which factor the students can change. You may need to provide extra of a certain supply so that the students can try out different things.

Examples

Design a Blood Glucose Homeostasis Lab

Design a Lab on How Ears Affect Hearing

SEL Science Lab: What Affects Your Thinking?