The scientific method forms the basis of all inquiry and knowledge acquisition and is great because it can be applied to so many different fields and contexts. How would you design an experiment to test ‘why dogs wag their tails?’  

A guide has been provided in the APPENDIX towards how to structure this practical as a guided inquiry, allowing students to pose and refine their own questions and techniques through discussion with the teacher. Through what they have learnt about collecting data they will shape their own experiment to test the question of why dogs wag their tail. 

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How will the dogs welfare be taken into account during the process of this experiment? How will the dog be treated? 
ie. How long should the dog be tested for? How many students should be in the room? Are there any other welfare/ethical considerations to think about? 
 

This is an important consideration taken by research scientists so should also be a consideration for the students. Where will this be explored in the lab report? 
 

Curriculum links and worksheets can be found in our APPENDIX