‘Betso pote DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES Teaching Science Resource Sheet 5 - Practical or experiment write-ups Introduction: A number of teacher resource fact sheets are currently being developed in addition to support material available on Learning Links. They will be uploaded progressively to Learning Links. ‘The fact sheets provide an overview of how teachers can develop their students’ understanding, science concepts and skills. They include practical lesson ideas and Tesources which can be easily adapted by teachers for their own classrooms. Science is a dynamic unit constantly evolving as new discoveries affect our daily lives. As such it requires a language all of its own. To achieve a successful scientific vocabulary, students should AT ALL TIMES be encouraged to use specific scientific language when discussing scientific concepts. Technical words are specific to a particular topic, field, or academic discipline, These words, i.., thelr scientific meanings, are usually uncommon elsewhere. Therefore to extend students, teachers need to encourage the use of scientific language when completing practical write ups. Structure of a practical or experiment write-up The following outline shows all the components that are likely to be required when completing a practical report in the middle and senior years. Primary Years teachers could refer to Primary Connections for an Investigation template for use when identifying relevant ‘components for practical or experiment write-ups. 1. Title Brief statement of the problem that provides the reader with some insight as to what the report is about. The title may link independent and dependent variables. If an organism is used, include its scientific name in the title. E.g Effect of temperature on growth and feed in in juvenile Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) 2. Aim A brief statement on the purpose of the experiment. Link independent variable to dependent variable e.g. To investigate the affect of on __.. Should be no longer than two sentences. You aim to verify, to investigate, to measure, to determine, to compare or to calculate. 3. Hypothesis A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event. A useful hypothesis is a testable statement which predicts the relationship between the independent and dependent variable e.g. When is increased, will increase/ decrease! stay the same! show an optimum/ show a minimum’ increase to an optimum value then decrease, etc. 4. Introduction Provides the reader some background, including information sources (references) to get the reader interested in the problem. In the Introduction you clearly state the rationale and the objective(s) of the study, E.g. testing variables, ote aeee pon Government | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES State the following variables and clarify how they will be measured and increments or levels set. + Independent variable: state it and in brackets list increments investigated. + Dependent variable: state it and clarify what measurement will be used to indicate the dependent variable. ‘+ Controlled Variables: Name all relevant controlled variables and state the level it will be controlled at e.g. temperature of surroundings was room temperature, measured at 25°C. The introduction should be no longer than one paragraph in length. 5. Procedure This section must be detailed enough so that someone else who may want to repeat your ‘experiment can understand your basic experimental design in terms of how you set up your ‘experiment. Write plainly and simply to make your operation well understood, Materials. List in detail with dot points, equipment and chemicals, state sizes, give concentrations. Method Use numbered steps, start with a verb, simple, clear, direct, state what is being measured and how, sufficient details for another to follow and do exactly what you did e.g. 1. Using a tml. graduated pipette, measure 1.0m. of water and place it into test tube 1. 6. Safety and Ethics Explain the main safety and ethical considerations of this experiment and explain how the risk was minimised. There is no set format, it can be tabulated or in point form. Be sure to take note of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) if available with the practical equipment accessed. Ifthe investigation involves students designing it themselves rather than from the textbook, then the teacher and student will need to conduct a risk assessment. 7. Results The results section contains data presented in tables and graphs. You relate significant findings in an organized, readable form. Present numerical data in tables, Show relationships between and among factors in figures. All tables and figures must have titles describing their contents, The Results section basically consists of a short 1 paragraph narrative in which you report significant findings of your study, citing any significant quantitative data (and referring to tables and figures after you do so). You should refer to all the data in your figures or tables here. Do not make judgments, draw conclusions, explain, or cite literature here. Keep the Results precise. Table The title for the table should contain the independent and dependent variable. Columns and rows should be labelled, units clear, cells merged appropriately. Independent variable is in left hand column with increments going down the rows, dependent variable stated with units in aRee boc Government | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES merged cell above rows containing trials, the average and the range. Range indicates the degree of scatter in the raw data. Graph The average results should be graphed. The title needs to contain the independent and dependent variable with the independent on the horizontal axis stated with units in brackets and the dependent variable on the vertical axis stated and with units in brackets. Graph includes plotted points of the averages and the curve (usually) or line of best fit that may not go through all plotted points but reflects the trend of the data A graph that includes plotted points for al trials (raw data) will indicate the scatter but must stil only contain ONE line or curve of best fit that reflects the trend of the data and is determined by the averages calculated. Determine a scale, (the numerical value for each square), that best fits the range of each variable, The scale should be consistent along the length of each variable, ie. match the data to your scale NOT the scale to your data, Spread the graph to use MOST of the available space. Rectangular graph paper is tured so that the variable with the widest range is drawn along the widest side of the paper. Comparision of the number of goals scored/quarter of football for three NTFL clubs | Comparision of the number | of goals scored/quarter of football for three NTFL clubs oe ed : las ‘Average goals/quarter, Average goals/quarter G | seutaos |] 1 Buttaos | WE | LB] saints | saints | bar etm | Twit | | : | 2009 2010 2011 2012 | 2009 2010 2015 2021 | Yearly results | Yearly results | Good us of scale scales consistent. Poor use of scale~ scales inconsistent Prtea poaiied Government | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES ‘Sample calculations Include sample calculations for calculated values. Show the formula used and insert one set of values so that the final value calculated matches one of the values included in the table of results. Resolution and significant figures Tabulated values must reflect the degree of resolution of the instrument used and calculated values must contain appropriate significant figures. Raw and processed data Measurements made during the experiment give the raw data and can be recorded in an appendix. Values calculated become processed data and are placed into a summary table. 8. Discussion Change to past tense for the remainder of the practical report from the start of the discussion. This means the student is reporting on what has been done so they will start to use words like was/ showed! increased/ decreased, with endings on the verbs that reflect past tense. You should not be using "I", we", “my’, “our” etc, to describe your work. E.g. My results show an increase of Power by 10%. This should be written as: ‘The results showed an increase of power by 10%. In this section you interpret the results, explain their significance, compare with other studies, and explain any weaknesses of the experimental methods or design. This is the most important section of your paper, and it is worth more points than any other section, Itis also the most difficult section to write. Except when citing authors directly, write in present tense and avoid excessive repetition of results. This is a great opportunity for English and literacy teaching by developing students understanding of appropriate text structure and organisation within the selected science genre. Students are able to express and develop their ideas by using analytical images like figures, tables, diagrams and graphs to contribute to their understanding ‘The following points must be covered in the Discussion section. a, Description of pattern: clearly state the relationship shown by the data between the independent and the dependent variable, quote relevant data, which have helped lead you to your conclusions. b. Evaluation of support of the hypothesis: Write about the predictions you made before you started the experiment. Do your results confirm your predictions or not? Clearly state if the hypothesis was/ was not supported by the data collected and explain a possible reason why. (This probably should be discussed in your CONCLUSION!) . Link results to proven scientific theory: use relevant modem scientific theory to explain the results obtained (internally reference and include a Bibliography/ References section). feoESrerment | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES 1d. Discussion of sources of error: Identify weaknesses you discovered in your experimental, design. For each error that you believe impacted on the results identify the following: «Source of error! type of error (Random or Systematic)’ justify why itis that type of error/ give effect of error on the results. ‘Systematic error can be caused by an imperfection in the equipment being used or from mistakes the individual makes while taking the measurement. A balance incorrectly calibrated would result in a systematic error. Random errors most often result from limitations in the equipment or techniques used to make a measurement, ‘*Relate effect of error to scatter /precision and reliability OR accuracy /true value. . Evaluation of procedures: consider the design of the experiment and discuss good aspects in your design that enabled collection of suitable data and poorer aspects of your design that limited suitable data collection e.g. consider the number of trials, the increments of the independent variable (how many and how widely spread), resolution of equipment and other procedures used. f. Improvements: consider realistic ways to reduce the errors, or minimise the effect of random errors or strengthen the design to improve the data collection. 9. Conclusion Ensure this is a separate section to the Discussion section, In the Conclusions section, paraphrase the essential findings of your study rather than repeat the exact wording you use in, say, the Results or Discussion sections. Do not report about other studies or about anything you did not deal with in your study. Restate the relationship shown between the independent and dependent variables and ‘comment briefly on accuracy and precision or significant errors, The conclusion is a brief summary of the investigation. It restates the hypothesis and indicates if the hypothesis was supported. Only significant and general outcomes are stated, Nothing new should be introduced here. Be precise. A conclusion need only be ane or two sentences long. ‘These are some questions which can assist students share their results and conclusions from the investigation. ‘+ What did you change? ‘+ What did you measure? ‘+ What did you keep the same? + How did you represent the results and why? + What conclusions did you draw? + Was it hard to keep some variables the same? ‘wu education nt gov.auNorthern poate Government | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES * What would happen to the results if we conducted repeats? 10. Collaborative paragraphievaluation Reflect on the process and clearly identify any issues encountered and how they were resolved, Discuss how the individual members of the team worked together and how this enabled suitable collection of data. This section is important as it provides evidence of how sludents work collaboratively. It can be written in first person. 11. Bibliography/references Literature references can be cited in text on in the reference list. The following format can be used to reference various materials. | In Text Reference Where you use a direct reference in your work you must recognize the author. This is called an in text reference. Use the last name of the author followed by the year of the publication (Daubechies, 1988) or for two authors (Howard and Beechy, 2003). {there are more than two authors then you would put the first author followed by an et.al., (Holt, et.al, 1999) ‘The reference can go before or after your statement. E.g, Thompson and Smith (2003) concluded from their research that people's attitudes towards capital punishment are largely based on emotion, Managers spend most of their time on communication issues (Brown, 2008) Harvard Referencing employs the method of including references to cited works within the text of your essay in parenthesis, as opposed to using footnotes. There are two ways of doing this. Brown (2013, p. 43) suggests that ‘referencing should always be clear’ itis agreed that ‘referencing should always be clear’ (Brown, 2013, p. 43). However, if you refer indirectly to an author's ideas, it should be referenced like this: Itis agreed that clear referencing is essential in academic work (Brown, 2013) Web page with author: In-text citation Role-play can help children learn techniques for coping with bullying (Kraiser, 2011). Reference entryEsrerment | DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES Kraizer, S. (2011). Preventing bullying. Retrieved from hitp.//safechild.org/categoryparents/preventing- bullying’ Web page with no author: In-text citation The term Nittany Lion was coined by Penn State football player Joe Mason in 1904 (All things Nittany, 2006). Reference entry All things Nittany. (2006). Retrieved from http:/nww psu. edu/ur/about/nittanymascot htm! Web page with no date: In-text citation Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APAJ, nc.) Bibliography: MUST BE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDERI!! Book Author(s) of book — family name and initials Year of publication, Title of book — italicised, Edition, Publisher, Place of publication. Table, Image or Diagram Author(s) of item — family name and initials Year of publication, Title of item — italicised, Edition, Publisher, Place of publication. Webpage Author(s) of page ~ (person - family name and initials or organisation) Year (page created or revised), Title of page - italicised, Publisher (if applicable), Place of publication (if applicable), viewed date, URL, Further information: Science by Doing. (2011). Doing Science Investigations, Teacher Guide. Australian Government. Australian Academy of Science. Website: http://science.org.au/scied