VMODEL
STEPS IN MAKING A MODEL

 TARGET   Plan   Describe Connect   Predict   Check 

 Make a model target

The model target is the thing you are trying to explain with the model.

Models exist to answer questions. A Vmodel model is used to explain why something behaves the way it does over time. Vmodel models help to explain why something is changing, or they help you predict how or why something might change. The thing that changes is a parameter: something like an amount, rate, level, etc.

• If you are making a model to explain a change you have observed, the model target should specify the thing that is changing and say if it is increasing or decreasing. This model will explain why the level of water in my bathtub is going down.
• If you are making a model to try to predict how something will change you can specify what you care about and what might influence it. For example: If we keep chopping down the rain forests, what will happen to the temperature of the atmosphere?

You type your target into the colored box in the target screen. The target will show up at the top of the modeling panel in all the other modes.

Later on, when it is time to make a prediction, make sure that it makes sense with your model target.

GO BACK       GO ON to model plan

Help on how to make and understand a Vmodel model	Help on the model building blocks
OVERVIEW	MAIN PAGE
How does the Model explain the model target?
What should be in my model?
Making predictions

 VMODEL