Lesson 7 of 11 · Waves
Experiment⭐ 30 XPReading the Small Print on a Claim
Reading the Small Print on a Claim.
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.
Mind = Blown
🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.
What You'll Learn
"Nine out of ten owners said their cats preferred it" hides the questions that matter: how many owners, chosen how, and preferred it to what? A claim without those details cannot be checked.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- notebook
- advertisements
Safety First
- Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Collect four advertising claims and, for each, write the three questions you would need answered before believing it. Rank the four from most to least checkable.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2The most important missing detail in most advertising claims is:
Where you see this in real life
This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.
For the dinner table
“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
Reading the Small Print on a Claim
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
Full screen — no distractions
Checkout complete lesson on Waves for 6th Grade
Get the full Waves track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.