What activity would most effectively help students understand the scientific investigation process?

Engaging in the activity of making a paper airplane that can fly at least 30 meters and analyzing the trials provides students with a hands-on experience that is crucial for understanding the scientific investigation process. Through this activity, students will formulate hypotheses about how variations in design might affect flight distance, thus encouraging critical thinking.

As they conduct the experiment, they will be able to collect data on different designs and their performance, which fosters a practical understanding of data gathering and analysis. This iterative process—design, test, collect data, evaluate—mirrors real scientific inquiry, where modifications are made based on results to improve outcomes. Moreover, the requirement to analyze trials encourages students to reflect on their findings, which is a vital aspect of scientific practice.

This hands-on approach contrasts with the other options, which do not involve active participation in the scientific method or experimentation. For instance, conducting a simple experiment with a set conclusion limits students' ability to explore and investigate variables, making it less effective for fostering a deep understanding of scientific inquiry. Writing a report on a scientific theory or reading about famous scientists are valuable educational experiences, but they do not provide the interactive and empirical learning that comes from firsthand investigation and experimentation.