Download - science project booklet - life science 2018
ScienceProjectPacket
LifeScience
Detailedinstructionsoncompletingyourscienceproject
Mrs.BobbiBaconPEPTutor
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ScienceProject–LifeScienceClassDonotbeoverwhelmedbythesizeofthispacket.Yes,youwillbecompletingalargeprojectwithmanycomponents,butwewillbebreakingitupintomanageablepieceswithlotsofguidancealongtheway.Thispacketisdesignedtobearesourceandtogiveyouagameplan.Takeitonestepatatimeandyou’llbeamazedathowmuchyouaccomplish.Eachoftheitemslistedonthefollowingscheduleisalsolistedonyourclasssyllabus.Inthefollowingpagesyouwillfinddetailedinstructionsforeachsection.Wewillalsobediscussingtheseitemsinclass.Asyousubmiteachcomponent,itwillbegivenbacktoyouwithnotesforimprovementorsuggestionstotry.Untilwegettothefinalpaperandpresentation,allassignmentswillreceiveasimplepass/failgrade.Sincethescienceprojectcountsas20%ofyourgradeduringthethird&fourthquarters,youwillwanttobesureyousubmitalltherequiredcomponents.Allsubmissionsshouldbetype-writtenandlabeled.Youwillbecompletingtheprojectinsectionsbutattheend,youwillcombineallthesectionsintoonefinalpaper.Thiswillbemucheasiertodoifallyourinformationisstoredinyourcomputer(andbackedupsomewhere).Waittopurchaseyourmaterialsforyourexperimentationuntilafteryouhavecompletedyourresearchandfinalizedthedesignforyourexperiment.Manystudentsfindthattheymakeseveralchangesduringthisprocess.Youwillbeaskedtogiveanoralpresentationofyourprojectjustpriortotheendoftheschoolyear.Youwillcreateatri-foldbackboardtouseinthispresentation.Ifyoulike,youmaygoaheadandpurchasethebackboard,butIencourageyouwaittoputittogetheruntilafteryouhavecompletedallyourexperimentationandcometoyourfinalconclusions.Aboveall,havefunwiththeproject.Ican’twaittoseewhatyoucomeupwith!
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2018ScheduleforScienceProject–LifeScience1/17/18 IdeaDue;ResearchBegins
ReadChoosingYourScienceProjectTopic–pg5Youaretosubmitapieceofpaperwithyournameandyourtopicchoice.Tellmewhatquestionyouaregoingtoanswerandtellmewhyyouchosethistopic.(“Itlookedeasy.”Or“Itlookedfun”arenotgoodreasons.)Thisshouldbeatleastonegoodparagraph.
1/24/18 Submitatleast4sourcesforyourresearch.Read–ScienceProjectResearch–pg6Youaretosubmitalistofyourresources(youwillbesubmittingthisinWorksCitedformatlater).Remember-youwillneedtostartwithatleastfoursources–andnotallfromtheinternet.Wikipediaisnotavalidsource.
2/5/18 Submit4paragraphsonyourresearchthusfarStartyourWorksCitedpage(turninacopy)Read–FourResearchParagraphsandCitingYourSources–pgs7-9Youaretosubmitfourwell-writtenparagraphsontheresearchyouhavedonethusfar,includeyourWorksCitedpage–thistimeinproperWorksCitedformat.
2/12/18 SubmityourhypothesisSubmitexperimentdesignideas(roughdraft)Read–HypothesisandDesigningYourExperiment–pg10Writeaparagraphcontainingyourhypothesis.And,onaseparatepieceofpaperwriteoutthedetailsofyourexperiment.Besuretolabelbothpapers.
2/19/18 Submit2pagesonresearchRead–TwoPagesofResearch–pg12Submittwofullpagesontheresearchyouhavecompletedaboutotherscientistsandtheirworkintheareaofyourproject.NOTE:Thisisinadditiontoyourfourparagraphsfrombefore.Submittingthisportionoftheassignmentdoesnotcountastwoassignments.Ifyousubmittedtwopagespreviously,youwillneedtoresubmitthemagainonthisdatewithanyimprovementsyoumayhavemade.
2/26/18 FormalsubmissionofexperimentdesignExperimentationbeginsathomeRead–FormalSubmissionofExperimentDesignandExperimentation–pg13
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Submittheformalwrite-upofyourexperimentationprocess.Thiscanstillbetweakedasyouworkthroughyourexperimentbutbeasdetailedandasaccurateaspossible.And,beginworkingathomeonyourexperiment,trackingresultsasyougo.
3/19/18 OneparagraphintroducingyourprojectRead–Introductoryparagraph–pg14Submitawellwrittenparagraphintroducingyourproject.Hookyourreader.
3/26/18 BringinexperimentationresultstodateRead–ExperimentResults–pg15Submityourdatatodateandifyou’reready,goaheadanddesignacharttohelpexplainyourdata.Bytheway–thischartwillalsobegoingonyourbackboard.
4/9/18 Writeupyourfinalexperimentresults.Includetables/charts/graphs,etc.Writeyourconclusionandreallifeapplication.ReadFinalExperimentResultsandInterpretation–pg16Submityourfinalexperimentresultswithchartsandgraphs.Alsowriteyourconclusionandwhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Finallyaddatleasttwoparagraphstellinghowyourresultscanbeusedinreallife.
4/16/18 FirstDraftofFinalPaperRead-ScienceProjectPaper–pgs17-18Note–therearesectionsaddedtothepaperthathavenotbeendiscussedyet.Theyarequiteeasytoadd.Justfollowtheinstructions.Mostsectionshavealreadybeencompleted,soit’sjustamatterofcuttingandpasting,thencheckingtobesurethepaperflowswell.ITISIMPORTANTTHATYOUSUBMITTHEDRAFTONTIME!Iwillbedoingonelastread-throughandaddingnotesovertheThanksgivingholidaysothatIcanreturnthepapertoyouforcompletionassoonaswereturntoclass.Afterthat,youwillonlyhaveoneweektoturnaroundthefinalcopy.Pleasedonote-mailittome.Ineedthehardcopy.
4/30/18 FinalPaperDue–NOEXCEPTIONS!!GroupAPresentationswithbackboardRead–BackboardDesign–pgs19Becausewebeginpresentations–ALLpapersmustbesubmittedtoday.Nolateworkwillbeaccepted.Yourbackboardwillnotbesubmitteduntilthedayofyourpresentation.
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5/2/18
SciProj–GroupBPresentationswithbackboard
5/7/18 SciProj–GroupCPresentationswithbackboard
5/9/18 SciProj–GroupDPresentationswithbackboard
Seepage20foracopyofthefinalscoringsheet.
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ChoosingYourScienceProjectTopic
LifeScienceThissemesteryouwillbeworkingonascienceproject.Itwillinvolve
• Research• Experimentation• Interpretationofdata• Conclusion• Reallifeapplication
Youwillthensubmitallofyourinformationinacompletedresearchpaper,somewhereintheneighborhoodof12to15pages,andwillmakeanoralpresentationtotheclassinApril/Maycompletewithbackboard.Thismaysoundabitoverwhelming,butwe’llbedoingitinsteps.Aslongasyoukeepontheschedulesetforyou,youwon’tfindyourselfcrammingthelastfewweeksofschooltogetallofthisworkdone.Thefirststepischoosingyourtopic.And,franklythisisgoingtorequirealittlethoughtandresearch.Firstofall,makeitinterestingandfun.Whowantsaboringprojecttoworkonallsemester?Second,askaquestion.Whatisitthatyouwanttodiscover?Doyouwanttocompareproducts?Areyouinterestedinwhatmakesplantsgrowtaller?Whyisitthatyourdentisttellsyounottodrinksoda?Trytothinkofthecost,materialsandtimeneededtodotheexperiment.Besureitissomethingyoucandowithinthesemester–testinghowvariousfertilizersaffectthegrowthofoaktreeswilltaketoolong.And,youwillhavetodoMULTIPLEteststoseeifyougetthesameresultseachtimeyourepeattheprocess.Choosesomethingyoucanrealisticallydo.Ifyouarenotallowedtousethechainsaw,anexperimentdesignedtofind“themostcost-effectivechainsaw”isoutofthequestion.Itmustalsobesomethingforwhichyoucanfindgoodresearch–inotherwords,somethingthathasprobablyalreadybeendoneanddocumented.Theresearchportionofyourpaperwilltakeupatleasttwoorthreepages.Youwanttobesureyoucanfindenoughinformationtoadequatelymakeyourpoint.Youwillbecompletingthisbeforeyoustartyourexperimentation.Andlastly,itmustbesomethingthathasa“real-life”application.Onceyouhaveconductedyourproject,youmustbeabletotellushowtheinformationyoulearnedcanbeused.YourprojectdoesnotnecessarilyhavetodealwithLifeSciencetopics.Ifyouneedhelpwithideas,youcanGoogle“ScienceFairProjectIdeas”-orcheckoutthesesites:
www.education.com/science-fair/www.sciencebuddies.orgwww.all-science-fair-projects.com
Youaretosubmitapieceofpaperwithyournameandyourtopicchoice.Tellmewhatquestionyouaregoingtoanswerandtellmewhyyouchosethistopic.(“Itlookedeasy.”Or“Itlookedfun”arenotgoodreasons.)Thisshouldbeatleastonegoodparagraph.
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ScienceProjectResearch
Beforeyoucanwriteyourpaperordesignyourexperiment,youneedtoconductyourresearch.Youwillwanttoanswerthesequestions(andanyothersyoumayhave):§ Whatscientistshavedonesimilarresearch?§ Whatexperimentshavebeenorarepresentlybeingperformed?§ Whatweretheresults?§ Whatscientificprinciplesapplytoyourproject?Youwillbewritingatleasttwopagesonsomeoneelse’sresearchforthesubjectyouhavechosen.Youwillalsoformulateyourhypothesisbasedonwhatyoulearninthisstep.Asyouresearch,besuretonarrowthescopeofyourproject.“Doplantsgrowtallerinlightordark?”istoobroadofaquestion.Youneedtoidentifyaspecificplantaswellasthetypeoflightyouwillbeworkingwith.KeepalistofALLthesourcesyouhaveused.StartbuildingyourWorksCitedpageforyourpaperwiththisinformation.Followtheinstructionsonyour“CitingYourSources”informationpage–orgotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ItisalsookaywithmeifyouuseaBibliography(WorksCited)creationwebsitesuchaswww.easybib.com.Note–WikipediaisnotavalidsourceasitisOpenSourcemeaningthatanyonecanpostanyinformationtheywant,however,ifyoulookatthebottomofaWikipediaarticleonyoursubject,youmayuseanysourceslistedtheretoaidinyourresearch.Atleastoneofyoursourcesmustbeanon-internetsource.Youwillcontinuetoaddtothislistasyouworkonyourprojectandfindthatfurtherresearchisrequired.YourofficialWorksCitedfirstdraftisduelaterinthemonth.Readthroughyourresourcescarefullyandtakegoodnotesoninformationthatisrelevanttoyourproject.
Youaretosubmitalistofyourresourcesshortlyafteryoudecideonaprojecttopic–thenyouwillresubmitthelistasaWorksCitedpageafewweekslater.Remember-youwillneedtostartwithatleastfoursources–andnotallfromtheinternet.
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FourResearchParagraphsThispartoftheassignmentgetsusstartedwithyourresearchpaper.Nowthatyouhavehadtimetoreadabout(andtakenoteson)otherpeople’sresearch,submitthestartofyourresearchsectionintheformoffourwell-writtenparagraphs.Thisisnotnecessarilysupposedtobeoneparagraphperresource–especiallyifyoujusttellmethesameinformationfourtimesandquotefourdifferentsources.Thisisthestartoftheresearchsectionofyourpaper–sowritefourparagraphsaboutyourresearch,makingitflow.Youmayhavediscoveredthatnotalltheresourcesyougatheredcontainedanabundanceofinformationonyourtopic.Ifnot,it’stimetoexpandyourresearch.Eveniftheoriginalsourcesareallgood,continuetoaddtoyourinvestigation.Themoreinformationyouhavetoworkwith,theeasieritwillbetowriteyourpaperanddesignaworkableexperiment.Itisalsopossiblethatbynowyouhavediscoveredthatthisisnotreallytheprojecttopicyouwerehopingthatitwas.Nowisagoodtimetochangetopicsifyou’dlike.Justkeepmepostedonwhatyou’redoing.Ifyou’rechangingtopics,youwillneedtosubmitanupdatedlistofresourcesalongwithyourfourparagraphs.(Doyouseewhywespreadthisoutoverseveralweeks?)JSeethenextsectionforinformationoncitingyoursources.
Youaretosubmitfourwell-writtenparagraphsontheresearchyouhavedonethusfar,includeyourWorksCitedpage–thistimeinproperWorksCitedformat.
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CitingYourSources
Note–themajorityofthisinformationistakenfromTheOWL(OnlineWritingLab)atPerdue:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/YoumayusetheBedfordHandbook,Writer’sInc.oranyothergoodresourcethatyouhavetohelpyoucitesources.Itisimportantthatyougivepropercredittoyourresources.Apaperwithoutpropercitationissubjecttothechargeofplagiarism.Ifyouuseadirectquotationorifyousubstantiallyrepeatanideafromanothersource,youaretocreditthatsource.Putquotationmarksaroundadirectquote.Attheendoftheinformationyouarecreditingputaoneortwowordcitationwithinparentheses.YouwillgivecompleteresourceinformationattheendonyourWorksCitedpage.Note:WorksCitedandBibliographyarethesamething.Forexample,ifyouquotefromanarticlewrittenbyDr.CharlesAlexander,youwillput(Alexander)attheendofthestatementinthebodyofyourpaper.Ifyouuseasourcethatdoesnothaveanauthor,pickafewwordsthatwilleasilyidentifyyoursource.Ex.(JetPropulsionLaboratory).Ifyouhavemorethanonesourcefromthesameauthor,addmoreidentifyinginformationwithinthepaper.Ex.(Alexander,March2008).Ifyouarequotingfromabook,includethepagenumber.Ex.(Alexander157).
BasicRules
• BeginyourWorksCitedpageonaseparatepageattheendofyourresearchpaper.Itshouldhavethesameone-inchmarginsandlastname,pagenumberheaderastherestofyourpaper.
• LabelthepageWorksCited(donotunderlinethewordsWorksCitedorputtheminquotationmarks)andcenterthewordsWorksCitedatthetopofthepage.
• Doublespaceallcitations,butdonotskipspacesbetweenentries.• Indentthesecondandsubsequentlinesofcitationsfivespacessothatyoucreateahanging
indent.You’llfind‘hangingindentation’asoneofyouroptionsforparagraphformattinginyourWordprogram.
• Listpagenumbersofsourcesefficiently,whenneeded.Ifyourefertoajournalarticlethatappearedonpages225through250,listthepagenumbersonyourWorksCitedpageas225-50.
• Ifyou'recitinganarticleorapublicationthatwasoriginallyissuedinprintformbutthatyouretrievedfromanonlinedatabase,youshouldprovideenoughinformationsothatthereadercanlocatethearticleeitherinitsoriginalprintformorretrieveitfromtheonlinedatabase(iftheyhaveaccess).
CapitalizationandPunctuation
• Capitalizeeachwordinthetitlesofarticles,books,etc,butdonotcapitalizearticles,shortprepositions,orconjunctionsunlessoneisthefirstwordofthetitleorsubtitle:GonewiththeWind,TheArtofWar,ThereisNothingLefttoLose
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• Useitalicsorunderliningfortitlesoflargerworks(books,magazines)andquotationmarksfortitlesofshorterworks(poems,articles)
ListingAuthorNames
Entriesarelistedbyauthorname(or,forentireeditedcollections,editornames).Authornamesarewrittenlastnamefirst;middlenamesormiddleinitialsfollowthefirstname:
Burke,KennethLevy,DavidM.Donotlisttitles(Dr.,Sir,Saint,etc.)ordegrees(PhD,MA,DDS,etc.)withnames.Abooklistinganauthornamed"JohnBigbrain,PhD"appearssimplyas"Bigbrain,John";do,however,includesuffixeslike"Jr."or"II."Puttingitalltogether,aworkbyDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.wouldbecitedas"King,MartinLuther,Jr.,"withthesuffixfollowingthefirstormiddlenameandacomma.
MorethanOneWorkbyanAuthor
Ifyouhavecitedmorethanoneworkbyaparticularauthor,ordertheentriesalphabeticallybytitle,andusethreehyphensinplaceoftheauthor'snameforeveryentryafterthefirst:
• Burke,Kenneth.AGrammarofMotives.• ---.ARhetoricofMotives.
Whenanauthororcollectioneditorappearsbothasthesoleauthorofatextandasthefirstauthorofagroup,listsolo-authorentriesfirst:
• Heller,Steven,ed.TheEducationofanE-Designer.• Heller,StevenandKarenPomeroy.DesignLiteracy:UnderstandingGraphicDesign.
WorkwithNoKnownAuthor
Alphabetizeworkswithnoknownauthorbytheirtitle;useashortenedversionofthetitleintheparentheticalcitationsinyourpaper.Inthiscase,BoringPostcardsUSAhasnoknownauthor:
• Baudrillard,Jean.SimulacraandSimulations.• BoringPostcardsUSA.• Burke,Kenneth.ARhetoricofMotives.
AdditionalSources
• ForinformationoncitingBooks,gotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/• ForinformationoncitingPeriodicals,gotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/• ForinformationoncitingElectronicSources,goto
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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YourHypothesis
Nowthatyouhavespentsometimewithyourresearch,youshouldhaveformulatedanideainyourheadabouthowthisprojectwillturnout.Ahypothesisisaneducatedguessabouttheresultsyouexpecttoseefromyourexperimentation.Writeseveralsentencesaboutwhatyouexpecttoseeafteryouhaveconductedyourownexperimentation.Besuretotelluswhyyouexpecttoseetheseresults.Wewillbeexpandingthistoafullparagraphasweworkoncompletingyourpaper–sothemoreinformationyouhavenow,thebetter.
DesigningYourExperimentBeforeyoustartwiththefunstuff,i.e.,theactualhands-onexperiment,youwillneedtowriteyourplanoutonpaper.RememberthatthisisNOTademonstration–thisisanexperimenttotestsomething.Youwillhaveaskedaquestionandnowyouneedtodeterminehowtogetananswertoyourquestion.Forexample–whichbatteryislongerlasting,orhowfastwillchipsgostaleifthebagisleftopen?BTW–you’llalsoneedtodefinewhatitmeanstobe‘stale’.Thinkofwaysthatyoucantestyourideas.Youcanwriteoutyourexperimentprocessinparagraphformatorinalist,butyouwillneedtobesuretoincludethefollowingdetails:
• Materialsthatyouwillneed.Includesizesorbrandnamesifthat’simportant.Alwayslisttheamounts(usingthemetricsystemofcourse).
• Thestep-by-stepprocessyouwillfollowtosetupandruntheexperiment.• Howlongyouthinkitwilltaketoconducttheexperiment.Youhaveapproximatelyfourweeks
tocompleteyourexperimentsoyou’llneedtostaywithinthistimeframe.• Detailsonhowyouwillmonitortheexperiment’sprogress.
Ifyouneedtodesignaformorchart,pleasesubmitthatwithyourdesign.Sketchesarealsogreatiftheyhelpexplainyouridea.Let’stalkalittlebitaboutvariablesandcontrols.IfI’mtestingforwhichbatterylastslonger,Ineedtohaveseveralbatterybrands.Thesearemyvariables.BUTwhatifItestoneofeachbatterybutunknowntometheDuracellbatterywasadudtostartwith.IsthatfairtoDuracell?Tobecertainofmyresults,Ishouldusemorethanoneofeachtypeofbrand.Infact,ideallyIshoulduseatleasttenofeachtypeandtakeanaverage.Thiscangetcostlythough–sothreeofeachtypewouldbeacceptable.Exposethemalltotheexactsametest.Ifyouputoneinaflashlightandoneinatoycar,youwon’treallyknowwhichonehasthemoststayingpoweraseachdevicedrainsabatteryatadifferentrate.Or–whatifIwanttodetermineifcoffeehelpsplantsgrow?Fromthefirstexample,youshouldnowrealizethatwewouldneedseveralplantstotestthiswith,justincasewegetaplantthathassomethingelsewrongwithit.Inthiscase,thecoffeeisourvariable.So…howdoweknowifcoffeeisagoodorabadthingforplants?We’dneedtotestitagainsthowplantsnormallygrow–thatis,withwater.Water
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wouldbeourcontrol.Again,ideallyyouwouldneedmanyplantsthatyougivewatertoandmanyplantsthatgetcoffee.KeepALLplantsinthesameareaandgivethemequalamountsofeachliquid.Inotherwords–theonlyvariableshouldbethetypeofliquidthattheyarereceiving.Controlasmanyfactorsasyoucansothattheresultsareonlyaboutthequestionyouareasking.Ifyouaretestingsomethingthatcanbesubjective–likewhichtastesbest,CokeorPepsi–thisisanopiniontest.Youwillneedatleast100teststomakethisanaccurateexperiment.
Bytheway–anexperimentthatjustasksforapreferencebetweentwoproductsiskindofboring.Addsomemoredetailssuchasageorgender.Getcreative!
Inyourexperimentdesign,makeitclearhowyouwillkeepcontrolofallthefactorsinyourexperimentsothatyouaretrulytestingonlythevariable.
Sidenote–ifyou’reworkingwithplants,besuretogetsomethingthatgrowsrapidly.Limabeansareagoodscienceprojectplant.
Writeaparagraphcontainingyourhypothesis.And,onaseparatepieceofpaperwriteoutthedetailsofyourexperiment.Besuretolabelbothpapers.
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Two-ThreePagesofResearchYouwillhavereceivedsomenotesbackfrommewhenyouwroteyouroriginalfourparagraphsonyourresearch.Youwillalsohavehadtimetocontinueresearchingasyoudraftedyourhypothesisandexperimentdesign.Nowisthetimetoexpandyouroriginalfourparagraphsintoatleasttwofullpagesofresearch.ThissectiondoesNOTcontainanyinformationontheprojectyouaredesigning.Remember–itisresearchaboutwhatothershavedoneONLY.Alsonotethattwofullpagesmeansjustthat.Ifyoustartaboutfourinchesfromthetopofyourfirstpagebecauseofyourpaper’sheadings,thenyoushouldgotoatleastfourinches(ormore)onathirdpieceofpaper.Usethefollowingformat:
• Doublespace• Indentyourparagraphs• TimesNewRoman,CalibriorArialfont–size12• 1inchmarginsallaround• Citeyoursourceswithinthebodyofyourparagraphs–useaoneortwowordcitein
parenthesis,typicallythefirstwordfromyourWorksCitedpageforthatreference.Doagoodjobhereandyou’llbefinishedwiththissectionofyourpaper.J
Submittwofullpagesontheresearchyouhavecompletedaboutotherscientistsandtheirworkintheareaofyourproject.
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FormalSubmissionofExperimentDesignYouwillhavereceivednotesbackfrommeonthefirstdraftofyourexperimentdesign.Youwillalsohavehadtimetoputalittlemorethoughtintotheprocessandstartgatheringyourmaterials.Forthisassignmentyouaretoformallywriteuptheprocedureforcompletingyourexperiment.Itmustcontainenoughdetailthatsomeoneelsecouldcomebehindyouandcompleteyourexperimentbasedsolelyonyourinstructions.Again,includebrandnamesandsizesifthatinformationisappropriate,alwaysusingmetricmeasurements.Givethereaderstep-by-stepinstructionsonsettingupandmaintainingtheexperiment.And,tellushowyouwillbekeepingtrackoftheresults.(IMPORTANT,ifyouarecopyingtheinstructionsfromapre-designedexperimentbesuretomakechangesthatwillmaketheexperimentlineupwithexactlywhatyouaredoing.)Includeforms,chartsorsketchesiftheyareappropriateforyourdesign.Beclearabouthowyouwillcontrolallthefactorssothatyouareonlytestingthevariable(s)youwanttotest.
ExperimentationGotowork!NOWthatyouhaveworkedthroughthedesignprocesses,it’stimetostarttheactualexperimentation.You’llbetoldthisinclass,butdon’tgetantsyandstartearlyasyoumayhavetototallyredoyourexperimentbasedonanychangeswemakeduringtheprocess.(Yes–thishashappenedtostudentsinthepast.)But,ifyouhavesuccessfullyworkedthroughalltheprevioussteps,youarereadytogetstartedwiththeexperiment.Youwillbegivenseveralweeksforthispart–butdon’tprocrastinate.Evenifyourexperimentisdesignedtobecompletedallinoneday–don’tmakeitthedaybeforetheworkisdue.Somethingunexpectedcouldhappenandyou’llneedtheadditionaltimetomakecorrections.Important–evenifyourexperimentdoesnotturnouthowyouexpectedittodoesnotmeanthattheprojectisafailure.WhathappensifyouplantabunchofseedsandNONEofthemgrow?Or,whatifyouexpectedmoldtogrowonyourstalebreadbutsomethingunknownateitinstead?Remember,repeatyourexperimenttoseeifyoucontinuetogetthesame(oraboutthesame)results.Themoretimesyourepeattheprocess,themoreaccurateyourresults.And–ifitstilldoesn’tworklikeyouexpectedthenanalyzethat.Yourconclusionwillbeananalysisaboutwhyyourexperimentturnedoutdifferentlythananticipated.Keepgoodrecordsofyourresults.Recordthedate,measurements,times,whateverisappropriateforyourtest.Ifpossible,alsotakepicturesasyougo.Ifyouaretestingpeople’sreactions(tastetests,etc.),itisnotnecessarytorecordtheirnames.Onlyrecordfactorsthatarepertinenttoyourtestsuchasgender,agerange,haircolor,ordominanthand–youknowincaseyou’rewantingtotestwhetherleft-handedboyscanthrowaballfartherthanright-handedboys.
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IntroductoryParagraph
Iknowthisseemsalittlebackwardstojustnowbewritingtheintroductoryparagraph–butyou’venowspentlotsoftimewithyourexperimentandyouhaveabetterideaofhowtointroduceittoyourreader.Thisparagraphisyourhook.It’swhatwillenticethereadertodelveintoyourpaper.Don’tjuststartoffwithavaguestatementlike“Didyoueverwonderabout….”Or“Thispaperisabout….”E-how.comgivesthisadvice:
• Writedownthemostinterestingthingsaboutyouressay.Istheresomethingsurprisinginwhatyouhavewritten?Doesaspecificimagecometomind?
• Explainthemostinterestingaspectofyouressaytosomeoneelse.Ifyou'restuck,trycompletingthesesentences:
o WhenIwasthinkingaboutthis,Icouldn'tbelievethat______.o Itwasamazingtomethat________.o Imaginewhatit'sliketo_______.o TheimageIcan'tgetoutofmyheadis______.
• Determinetheaspectofyouressaythatwouldbethemostinterestingandcompellingtosomeonewhohasnoideawhatyouaregoingtosay.
• Writethis"mostinteresting"factorimageinasentenceortwo.Refineit.Readitoutloud.Itshouldmatchthetoneoftherestofyouressay.(E-howHook)
Givemeatleastfourorfivegoodsentencesthatwillexciteyourreaderaboutyourpaper.Donotgivedetailshereaboutyourexperimentorresearch–onlyhints.
Submittheformalwrite-upofyourexperimentationprocess.Thiscanstillbetweakedasyouworkthroughyourexperimentbutbeasdetailedandasaccurateaspossible.And,beginworkingathomeonyourexperiment,trackingresultsasyougo.
Submitawellwrittenparagraphintroducingyourproject.Hookyourreader.
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ExperimentResults
Hopefullybynowyouhavecompletedthemajorityofyourexperimentationandarerecordingtheresults.Youwillsubmittheresultsintwoways:(1)rawdataand(2)interpretationofyourdata.
Fornow,we’llfocusontherawdataorsimplythebasicresultsofyourexperiment.Forexample,howmanychoseCokeandhowmanypeoplechosePepsi?Or,howlongdidtheDuracellbatterylastandhowlongdidtheEvereadybatterylast?Submittheresultsforeverytestthatyoucompleted.Ifpossible,submitalltheinformation.Forexampleifyoutested5Duracellbatteriesand5Evereadybatteries,tellushowlongeachindividualbatterylasted.However,ifyouasked100peoplewhethertheypreferredCokeorPepsi,ratherthanlist100responses,givethetotalnumberwhochoseCokeandthetotalnumberwhochosePepsi(alongwithwhateverotherdetailsyouaddedtomakeitmoreinteresting).
Inadditiontorawdata,giveussomethingtovisuallyunderstandtheresults.Thisisbestdonewithsometypeofchart.Forexampleabarchart,piechart,linegraphorevenaVenndiagramwillaidthereader’sunderstandingofyourexperimentresults.Justbesuretolabelitwellsothatthereaderknowsexactlywhateachsectionofthechartstandsfor.Itmightbeagoodideatotryandputyourdataintoseveraltypesofchartstodeterminewhichonereallydoesthebestjobwithyourdata.
Submityourdatatodateandifyou’reready,goaheadanddesignacharttohelpexplainyourdata.Bytheway–thischartwillalsobegoingonyourbackboard.
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FinalExperimentResultsandInterpretationBynowyoushouldhavecompletelyfinishedallofyourexperimentationandobtainedmultiplesetsofdatatoworkwith.Allofthisinformationneedstofitneatlyintoyourfinalpaper.Followtheguidelinespreviouslygivenforreportingyourdataandputtingitintochartformat.Youarenowreadyforthesecondpartofthissection–interpretingyourdata.Thissectionofyourpaperwillbeentitled“ConclusionsandRealLifeApplication”Saythatoutofyourtenbatterytests,allfiveEvereadybatterieslastedlongerthanallfiveDuracells.ThoseareprettyclearresultsandyoucansaythatEvereadybatteriesarelongerlastingthanDuracell.But,whatifinthreetestsDuracelldidbetterandintwotestsEvereadywonout?And,whatifEvereadylastedtwiceaslongasDuracellinthosetwotestswhileDuracellonlylastedtenminuteslongerintheteststhattheywon–nowhowdoyouinterpretthoseresults?Ifyoucandeterminesomeotherfactorhadaneffect–reevaluatehowyouranyourexperiment.Iftherewasnootherfactor,thentherearenocleardifferencesinbatterybrands.Also,ininterpretingscientificresults,youshouldnotusephraseslike“betterthan/worsethan”or“more/less”.Youneedtobespecific.Forexample,ratherthansaying“Wateringplantswithcoffeemakesplantsgrowmorethanwateringplantswithplainwater,”youwouldsay:“Wateringplantswithcoffeeresultsinanaveragegrowthofthreemorecentimetersperweekthanwateringplantswithplainwater.”Aspartofthissection,telluswhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Didyougettheresultsyouoriginallyexpected?Whyorwhynot?And,finally,tellushowwecanuseyourresultsinreallife.Thisshouldtakeatleasttwoparagraphs.Longerwouldbeevenbetter.
Submityourfinalexperimentresultswithchartsandgraphs.Alsowriteyourconclusionandwhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Finallyaddatleasttwoparagraphstellinghowyourresultscanbeusedinreallife.
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ScienceProjectPaperIfyou’rereadingthis,you’realmosthome!It’stimetobeginassemblingalltheworkyouhavedoneintoyourfinalpaper.Gatherupeverythingyou’vedonesofarandfollowtheguidelinesbelowtocompleteyourproject.Therewillbesectionsthatyouhavenotdoneyet,buttheyarerelativelysimple–justdothemasyougo.LayoutRequirements:
§ Doublespace,indentyourparagraphs§ Donotputanextraspacebetweenyourparagraphs§ Labeleachsectionwithaboldheadline§ TimesNewRoman,ArialorCalibrifont–size12§ 1inchmarginsallaround§ Numberyourpages(notnecessaryonthetitlepage,butitcountsaspage1)§ Citeyoursourcesintheresearchsection–useaoneortwowordciteinparenthesis,typicallythefirstwordfromyourWorksCitedpageforthatreference.SeetheinformationonwritingyourWorksCitedpage(separatepage).
Yourpapershouldcontainthefollowingsections:¨ Titlepage–Comeupwithatitleforyourwork–thiswillappearonyourbackboardaswell.The
titleshouldbeboldcenteredtowardsthetopofthepage–largerfontokayhere.Onthebottomhalfofthepage,centeryourfullname,thedatedue,andyourclass–ex.PEPLifeScience.
TableofContentspage–tellingwhichpageeachofthefollowingsectionsbegins.
Thebodyofyourpapershouldflow–donotchangepageseachtimeyoustartanewsection.Theheadingswillbeusedasseparators.Yourbodyshouldcontainthesesections:¨ Introduction(atleasttwoparagraphs)–thisisyourhookandthebasicintroductionexplaining
yourproject.Itwillincludewhyyouchosetheprojectandwhatyouwillbetesting.¨ Hypothesis–(oneparagraph)¨ Acknowledgements(oneparagraph)–acknowledgeanypeoplewhohelpedyouinyourproject.
Thiswon’tbeanypersonyouexperimentedon–thiswillbeanyadditionalpeoplewhohelpedyouwithyourprojects(Hint:whopaidforthematerials?)
¨ Research(twoormorepages)–thisisallthatworkyoudidinthebeginning.Copyithere–beingdoublesurethatyouhavecitedallsources.
¨ Materials(list)–beveryspecific.Includebrandnames,sizes,weightsorvolumes,quantity,etc.(metric).Ifyoubuiltanything,includetheprocedureforconstruction.Youmayinsertpicturesordiagramshere(notofyourexperiment–onlyofdevicesyoumayhaveused).Ifyouusedaquestionnaireinyourexperiment,showacopyofithere.‘Box’theminsothatitisclearwheretheystopandstart.
¨ Experimentprocedure–asimpleandcompletelistofthestepsyouused.Someoneshouldbeabletotakeyourmaterialslistandyourproceduressectionandcompletelyduplicatewhatyoudid.Don’tleaveanythingout.
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¨ DataandResults(threeorfourpages)–startbyshowingyourdata,explainwhatitallmeansandendwithanygraphsorchartsthatmakeiteasiertointerprettheresults.Thissectionwillbeacombinationofwritingandcharts.Again,picturesanddiagramswillgowellhere.Caution:donotmakethegraphicshuge–justlargeenoughtobereadable.Makesuretheyarewelllabeled.Weshouldunderstandwhateverythinginyourchartsorgraphsmean.
¨ ConclusionsandApplication(atleastthreeparagraphs–maybemore)–whatcanyouinterpretfromyourresults?Didyouhaveacorrecthypothesis?Whyorwhynot?Howcansomeoneusetheseresultsinreallife?
¨ WorksCited(thisisaseparatepage)–seetheBedfordHandbookorWriters,Inc.forinstructionsoncompletingthisaccurately.Or,youcanfindMLAguidelinesonlineatTheOWLatPerdue.
PROOFREAD!!Havesomeoneelseproofread!!PROOFREAD!!Besurethatyourpaperflowswellandthatsomeonewhoisnotfamiliarwithscienceorwithyourprojectcanunderstandwhatyouhavewritten.
Congratulations–youhavedonealotofworkandhereiswhereitshines!
Itisimportantthatyousubmityourfirstdraftonthedayitisdue.Iwillbedoingonelastread-throughandaddingnotessothatIcanreturnthepapertoyouforcompletion.Weonlyhaveashortturn-aroundtimebeforeyourabsoluteDEADLINEforthefinalpaper.Pleasedonotemailyourpapertome.Ineedthehardcopy.
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ScienceProjectBackboardThebackboardisusedtogiveavisualoverviewofyourproject.Mostpeoplewon’tbereadingyourpaper–theywillbelookingatyourbackboard,soitwillneedtotellthewholestory.YoushouldreadthebackboardfromlefttorightUseathree-paneledbackboardanddivideitasfollows:
TITLEOFYOURPROJECT
Problem
Hypothesis
Procedures
Photos/Drawings
Graphs/Charts
Tables
Usewhatworksbestforyourprojectonthispanel.Justbesurethateverythingiswell
labeled.
Results
Conclusions
Real-LifeApplications
Note:photosshouldbeoftheproject–notofyou.Youwillrepeatinformationfromyourpaperonthebackboard,butpleasedon’tjustcutoutandpasteyourresearchpapertotheboard.Getcreative!!Noteverydetailfromyourpaperneedstobeincludedhere–justenoughtogivethereadergoodinformationonyourproject.Makepeoplewanttoreadit!Italsoneedstobereadfromfartheraway–soenlargefontsifyou’reprintingfromyourcomputer.Resistthetemptationtoaskyourparentsforhelphere.Youcan,ofcourse,askquestionsandgethelpwithlogisticsandsupplies–butthisshouldreflectyourabilities.J
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SCIENCEPROJECT–FINALGRADINGSHEET
FinalPaper: PointsPossible PointsEarnedResearch:ThoroughClearlypresented
30
CitedatleastfoursourcesWorksCitedpageaccurate 10
Experiment:PlannedwellRepeatedsufficientlyAdjustmentsmadeifneededScientificprocessfollowed
25
Results:Datapresentedwell(readableandunderstandable)Goodinterpretationofresults
25
RealLifeApplication 5 Paperformattedcorrectly 5 TOTAL 100
Presentation: PointsPossible PointsEarnedPresentationGoodeyecontactwithyouraudienceOrganized,sequentialpresentationThorough
20
ExhibitAttractive,neatandbalancedLabeledwellEasilyunderstoodbytheaveragepersonBiology–containedabstract
20
KnowledgeAbletoanswerquestionswell 10
TOTAL 50
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WorksCited
Berry,Hillary,ScienceFairProjectNotebookc.2004Manyideasandconceptsfoundinthispacketwere
takenfromtheScienceFairProjectNotebookdesignedbyHillaryBerryoftheWestgateCo-op,Jacksonville,FL.
Novak,Melanie."HowtoWriteaHookforanEssay."EHow.DemandMedia,26June2009.Web.16
Aug.2012.<http://www.ehow.com/how_5127257_write-hook-essay.html>."ScienceFairProjectAbstract."HowtoWritea.N.p.,n.d.Web.17Aug.2012.
<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_abstract.shtml>."WelcometothePurdueOWL."PurdueOWL.N.p.,n.d.Web.16Aug.2012.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/>.