CONDUCT YOUR EXPERIMENT/COLLECT YOUR DATA AND RECORD YOUR RESULTS WRITE YOUR CONCLUSION Due Date: February 9, 2010
Conducting Your Experiment Adapted with permission from www.sciencebuddies.org 1) Before you start, know what to do. Read and understand your experimental procedure. Look for steps you may have missed and see if you have any questions before you begin your experiment. 2) If you haven t done so already, get a notebook to record all of your observations during your experiment. 3) Before you start your experiment, create a data table so that you can quickly write down your measurements as you observe them. 4) Be prepared! Gather all of your materials together and make sure they are easy to reach when you are doing your experiment. 5) Be safe! Do you need goggles? If so, ask to borrow a pair from your teacher. Do you need to wear gloves? Have you tied back long hair? Are you wearing shoes with closed toes (no flip flops)? Do you have an adult present with you at all times during the experiment? Is your workspace clean and free of clutter? 6) Follow your experimental procedure exactly as you have them written. If you need to make changes to the procedure, make sure you write down the changes exactly as you made them. Go back and change your procedures for your final project display. Don t worry! This happens often so you aren t doing anything wrong. Failures and mistakes are part of the learning process, so build in enough time to make changes and repeat your experiment as many times as you can. 7) Be careful, consistent and accurate when you record your measurements. If possible, write down your measurements as a number. 8) Take pictures of your experiment so that you can put them on your display board. If you can, try not to have your face or anything that can identify you as a boy or a girl in the picture.
Trial (or sample #) Sample Data Table Amount of fertilizer (this is on the horizontal axis) Height of the plant (this is on the vertical axis) #1 None [Write your data in this column as you make measurements during your experiment.] #2 None #3 None #4 1 tsp/week #5 1 tsp/week #6 1 tsp/week #7 2 tsp/week #8 2 tsp/week #9 2 tsp/week #10 3 tsp/week #11 3 tsp/week #12 3 tsp/week Conducting Your Science Experiment Checklist Did you make sure your workspace is safe? Do you have the necessary safety equipment? Did you read over your procedures and gather together all of your materials? Did you record all of your observations and take detailed notes in your journal or laboratory notebook? Did you collect all of your data and record it directly using a data table? Were you consistent, accurate and careful when you made your measurements? Were you careful to change only one variable in your experiment and keep everything else the same? Did you change your experimental procedure if you ran into any problems and make sure you recorded the changes in your notebook? Did you take pictures during your experiment? Place a if you have this on your board
Results Data Analysis and Graphs Adapted with permission from www.sciencebuddies.org When you have completed your experiment, it is time to do the following steps: 1) Look over (review) your data. Try to look at the results and ask yourself these questions: a. Did you forget something, or is it complete? b. Do you need to collect more data? c. Did you make any errors (mistakes)? 2) Since you repeated your experiment, now you need to calculate an average of your results. Look at the different trials (see previous section for a definition of this term) and find the average, if you can. 3) When you are creating your tables and graphs, make sure you clearly label all tables and graphs and include all of the units of measurement (inches, centimeters, milliliters, grams, volts, etc.). Make sure you include a title on all charts and graphs. 4) When you create your graph, put the variable you changed on the x-axis (horizontal line) and what you measured because of the change on the y-axis (vertical line). Be sure to label the axes of your graph, and don t forget to include units of measurement (see above)! Graphs are an excellent way to show your results and most good KIC projects have at least one graph. Data Analysis and Graph Checklist Do you have enough data to either prove or disprove your hypothesis? Have you checked your data for errors and accuracy? If you are able to, did you average together your results? Did you include units of measurement in your charts (data tables) and graphs? Did you label your graphs and charts (data tables) with appropriate titles? Did you choose the graph that is right for your data (bar or line)? Have you placed the variable you changed on the x-axis and what you measured because of the change on the y-axis? Have you labeled the axes on your graph and included units of measurement? Did you plot your data correctly and clearly? Place a if you have this on your board
Conclusion Adapted with permission from www.sciencebuddies.org Your conclusion is a summary of your results. It will show how your results support or disprove your original hypothesis. o Even if your hypothesis is not proved correct, your KIC project can still be an excellent one. KIC judges don t care if you have supported or contradicted your original hypothesis. Scientific research is an ongoing process and most of the time, our experiments lead to more questions that lead to new experiments. KIC judges will care how much you have learned and if you have followed all of the steps and guidelines in this packet. Your KIC project summary should be two-three sentences about your results and how your summary supports your conclusion. If possible, include key facts from your background research to help explain your results Be sure to state whether your results supported or disproved your hypothesis. Summarize and evaluate your experimental procedure. Make comments about the successes and effectiveness of the procedure. Write a sentence or two suggesting changes to the experimental procedure and/or possibilities for further study.
Observe/Record and Conclusions Data: This is the information collected during your experiment. Your observations may be placed in a table, a labeled diagram, a blueprint, or a graph. Results: The results are a summary of your data. This should be a written description of your data.
Conclusion: The conclusion is one or two sentences long and should either confirm or reject your hypothesis. Due Date: February 9, 2010