Science/Pd : Froehlich

Name:Date:

Science/Pd : Froehlich

Unit 1 Project: Does it really do that?

The Problem:

Billboards, TV commercials, radio jingles, Facebook…it seems that everywhere we look ads are telling us about the next best thing to come out on the market. From “longer lasting gum” to “the ultimate stain remover”, advertisers are relentlessly making the claim that their product is better than all the rest, but how do we know for sure?

You have been hired as an investigative reporter for Consumer Reports magazine to test one of these outlandish claims. You must determine a question to investigate, then design and run a controlled experiment to find an answer to the question. The data you collect and conclusions you make will be shared with the public. You will attend a science convention where the editor of Consumer Reports will decide whether your report is publication worthy.

The Product:

You will create a tri-fold science fair board to display the design and results of your experiment. This board will be used to support your classmates’ understanding of your experiment when they attend the science convention. You will need to include both text and visuals on your board. Be sure to reference the project rubric for a more complete description of what your board should include.

The Rubric

You will be graded using the rubric provided on the following page. It is YOUR responsibility to read the rubric carefully in order to insure that you are adequately completing each section of the project.

The Due Dates:

As this is our first class project, I have determined 3 checkpoints to ensure that you will successfully manage your time. At each checkpoint you will receive 5 points for having the appropriate section complete, for a total of 15 possible points.

Date / Checkpoint
Monday September 10 2012 / Question and Hypothesis
Thursday September 14 2012 / Materials List and Procedure
Friday September 21 2012 / Data and Graphs

The completed project is due on Tuesday September 25. You bring in your tri-fold board and will briefly share your project with your classmates on this date.

According to the rubric, you can earn up to 50 points on your final project. The points you earn on the final project will be added to the points you earn at each checkpoint, for a possible total of 65 points.For each day the project is late, 5% of your grade will automatically be deducted. The project will no longer be accepted after 5 days.