STAGE 3 SCIENCEINVESTIGATIONTERM 2, 2018

TASK: You are to design, plan and carry out a scientific investigation into any topic of your choice. You may work independently or with a partner.

You need to present your investigation in a formal organised manner i.e. it must include all of the following elements:

Aim: A clear statement of what you are trying to find out. This is the question that should lead the rest of your investigation.

Background research and information: Scientific information in your own words about the subject of your investigation.

Hypothesis: A prediction of what you think will most likely happen in your investigation. This is done before you begin the investigation.

Materials: A list of all the things you used in the investigation

Method: A detailed description of what you did in the investigation. It must explain how you made it a fair test, what variables you kept the same and what you changed and measured.

Results: Usually in the form of a table with units of measurement clearly indicated.

Conclusion: A discussion of your results, which summarises them, identifies any patterns in the data collected, and attempts to provide scientific explanations for them. Your conclusion should also include an evaluation of the investigation (what went well, what went wrong if anything, how would you change things if you did it again etc.).

Log:You are also required to keep a logdocumenting the various steps you undertook in your investigation.

Please see the assessment schedule belowfor more details of the expectations of this project.

DEADLINES:

1.You mustcheck your ideas with me before you begin and you need to hand in a shortwritten outline of your investigation by FridayWeek 3 (May 18th) for me to check. This needs to include your Aim and a short description of how you plan to answer it.

2. DUE DATE: The completed investigation is due by FridayWeek 10 (July 6th) of Term 2.

Please see me with any ideas or questions you might have. You can also email me at if you cannot find me at school.

Mrs. Rao

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA (Draft only)
PART 1 - OUTLINE
Submitted on time
Contains clear aim and short method
PART 2 - FINAL PROJECT
AIM is clearly defined and links to rest of investigation
HYPOTHESIS Is a prediction (not a guess) and is able to be proven/disproven by the method used
BACKGROUND INFORMATION is relevant to aim of investigation, written in own words and demonstrates an understanding of the topic being investigated
METHOD
Clearly documents steps carried out in investigation
Identifies variables which could affect outcome
Identifies how variables were controlled
Method was planned as a fair test and each test was repeated a minimum of 5 times
RESULTS
Are recorded in a consistent manner using standard measurements
Are recorded in a table or graph or other appropriate manner
CONCLUSION & ANALYSIS
Identifies and discusses patterns in data
Clearly summarises the data obtained in investigation
Includes scientific explanations that are consistent with the data
Suggest improvements and/or further investigations and links investigation to applications (if any) in wider world. Identifies difficulties (if any) experienced during investigation
LOG BOOK contains dated entries which clearly document stages in investigation including reflections on progress of project.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The report lists allassistance received in the project
ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVITY Shows originality in the idea and creativity in the investigative method
PRESENTATIONThe report is well formatted and is easy to read. Care has been given to communicating ideas clearly.
REFERENCES References have been cited