Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!

Unit 1

Lesson 3:

Groups, Constants & Placebo

Learning Target:

Students will be able to craft an experiment that contains a control group and experimental group.

Success Criteria:

Describe the difference between a control group and an experimental group.
Analyze and explain your reasoning about placebos being used in control groups.

Standards

NYS LE Major Understanding:

Development of a research plan for testing a hypothesis requires planning to avoid bias (e.g., repeated trials, large sample size, and objective data-collection techniques). (2.3c)

Reminders:

Materials due tomorrow

Contract due tomorrow

Part 1:

Warm-Up

(10 min)

Part 2:

Review

15 min

Scientific Question: Does a new medicine help patients lose weight?

1) Hypothesis:

2) Independent Variable:

3) Dependent Variable:

4) Describe how we will test this hypothesis. (# of people, groups, etc)

5) Are there any variables we might want to try to keep the same in the experiment?

Part 3:

Stop n'Jot

(3 min)

In our experiment above, most of you said we should split the patients into two groups. One group GETS the Independent Variable and the other group does NOT get the Independent Variable. In science, we have names for these groups: the experimental and control group. In addition, many of you said we should keep some parts of the experiment the same. We call this a constant.

Experimental Group: Receives the Independent Variable.

Control Group: Does Not get the Independent Variable or receives the normal amount.

Constant: Something you keep the same in an experiment. Common example are food, water, sleep, sun, temperature)

Placebo: A pill given to the control group that has no medicine. Usually a sugar pill. The purpose of a placebo is to prevent participants from knowing whether they belong to the treatment group or the control group.

Part 4:

Exit Ticket

One of Many is Incorrect

(10 min)

Directions: Below you will find three problems. All them are answered correctly except for one. Figure out with your group which one is incorrect and explain why. Answers are in red.

Question #1

How does the CONTROL GROUP setup in an experiment differ from the other setups in the same experiment?

A) It tests a different hypothesis.

B) It has more variables.

C) It does not receive the independent variable.

D) It utilizes a different method of data collection

Question #2

A new drug for the treatment of asthma is tested on 100 people. The people are evenly divided into two groups. One group is given the drug, and the other group is given a glucose pill.

The group that is given the glucose pill serves as the

A) experimental group

B) limiting factor

C) control

D) indicator

Question #3

One hundred laboratory rats were used in a controlled study to determine the effect of aspirin on the frequency of heart attacks.

Fifty rats were each given a daily injection containing 5.0 milligrams of aspirin for a period of 1 year. On a daily basis each of the other 50 rats would most likely receive an

A) oral dose of 100 mg of aspirin

B) injection of 5.0 mg of water

C) injection of 100 mg of aspirin

D) oral dose of 50 mg of water

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