Free printable science worksheets and charts

Scientific Method Worksheet

Steps of the scientific method, an experiment planner, variables practice or an observation sheet — print them or download the PDF.

This free scientific method worksheet maker builds printable sheets right in your web browser. You choose a grade level, tick the sheet types you need, and the tool builds each one as its own page. The four sheet types are a steps sheet, an experiment planner, a variables exercise, and an observation sheet. No sign-up is needed, and nothing you create is uploaded or sent to a server. You can print the sheets or save them as a PDF on US Letter or A4 paper. The same sheets work as a science investigation worksheet, a science experiment worksheet, or a science observation sheet.

How to make a scientific method worksheet

  1. Choose a level. Pick Middle and high school (7 steps) or Elementary (5 steps).
  2. Choose a steps sheet type. Pick Worksheet (students name each step, with blank lines and a word bank), Put the steps in order (students number them), or Handout (the steps are already filled in as a reference).
  3. Tick the sheet types you want: Steps of the scientific method, Experiment planner, Identify the variables, and/or Observation sheet. Each one makes its own page.
  4. For Identify the variables, choose how many experiment stories you want, from 1 to 8 per sheet. Use New version to get a different set of stories.
  5. Optionally type an experiment title, question, and hypothesis to prefill the Experiment planner.
  6. Set the options: Include answer key, Name and date line, Sheet title, and paper size.
  7. Click Download PDF, Print, or Copy link.

Download PDF builds a vector PDF file in your browser. Print opens the print dialog with only the sheets. Copy link reopens the same settings later, so you can share one exact setup with a class or a family member.

The preview on the right shows every page as it will print. Tick several sheet types at once to make a complete lab packet: the steps handout, the planner and its data page, and an observation sheet.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

The scientific method is a set of steps for answering a question with evidence. The middle and high school version has seven steps: ask a question, do background research, form a hypothesis, test with an experiment, analyze the data, draw a conclusion, and share the results. The elementary version has five: question, hypothesis, experiment, observe and record, and conclusion.

The steps build on each other, but the process is not always a straight line. Results often lead to a new question and another experiment. A conclusion can start a second round of testing, so students should expect to return to earlier steps.

What are independent, dependent and controlled variables?

A variable is any factor in an experiment that can change. The independent variable is the one thing the experimenter changes on purpose. The dependent variable is what gets measured to see the effect of that change. Controlled variables are the factors kept the same so the test is fair.

For example, suppose you want to test whether more light makes bean plants grow taller. The independent variable is hours of light. The dependent variable is plant height. The controlled variables are the kind of seed, the amount of water, the soil, and the pot size. If any of the controlled variables changed too, you could not tell whether the light caused the difference in height.

Students practice this by naming the three types for each story on the Identify the variables sheet. The Experiment planner has a variables table for the same purpose.

What makes an experiment a fair test?

A fair test changes only one thing at a time. If you change the amount of light and the amount of water together, you cannot tell which one made the plants grow taller. Repeating each test several times (the planner’s data table has room for several trials) makes the results more reliable, because one odd measurement matters less when you look at the average.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a testable prediction, often written as “If [I change this], then [this will happen], because [reason].” For example: “If a bean plant gets more hours of light, then it will grow taller, because plants use light to make food.”

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Tick Include answer key before you download or print. The key fills in the names of the steps on the steps worksheet and lists the answers for the Identify the variables stories; any two correct controlled variables count as correct.

Is there a simpler version for elementary students?

Yes. Choose Elementary (5 steps). Its steps are question, hypothesis, experiment, observe and record, and conclusion. Each step appears in a numbered box with arrows and a one-line description.

Can students plan their own experiment with it?

Yes. The Experiment planner has lines for the experiment, question, and hypothesis, a variables table, a materials list, and numbered procedure lines. The Data and Results page has a data table with 3 to 15 rows and 2 to 6 columns, where you can type your own column headings. It also has an optional graph grid with axis labels and lines for results and a conclusion.

What is the observation sheet used for?

The Observation sheet records what students see during an experiment or a nature walk. It has fields for Observing, Date, Time, and Conditions, plus a large box to draw and label. Students then write what they observe (what they see, hear, smell, or feel), what they notice (patterns and changes), and what they wonder (questions they could test). Choose 1 large observation or 2 observations per page.