Group 4 Project
Science is knowledge
Knowledge is power
Some Philosophy
Scientific investigations of today
involve teamwork which , like the
Group 4 Project, is interdisciplinary.
The underpinnings of teamwork are:
communication and
respect for each other
Nature of the Project
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Collaborative experience
Interdisciplinary co-operation
‘Real Science’ activity
Processes, not Products
Choosing a Topic
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Teachers select Wide – General
topic
ENERGY
Participation
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All the students investigate the
same topic – Subtopic.
Split into smaller groups for 3 or 4
topics
When to carry out the Project
Page 2 in your booklet
end of first year
During the school day
on a weekend
on a field trip
Look Timeline p.2
6 - 9 Hours
(6 - 9)
Evaluation
Planning (2 – 3 hours)p.3-4
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Mixed-subject sessions:
brainstorm the topic
Develop a hypothesis
Suggest data collection
Sharing of information & ideas
Definition of Activities p.5-8
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Develop subject-specific questions
to answer
and
 A subject specific hypothesis
Define specific tasks
Action (6 - 9 hours)p.10- 12
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Separate subject investigations
As individuals or groups
During ‘Normal’ lessons or a special
day / week /weekend
2 science subjects do
phases
2 action
Evaluation (2 – 3 hours)p.13-16
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Sharing findings
(successes, failures and
progress)
Format decided by
teachers & / or
students, e.g., science
fair, posters, school
presentation…
Assessment
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Teachers will :
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Assess it against one or more of the IB
IA criteria
Assess it according to the criteria for
the school’s local requirements.
Evidence of participation
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a statement written by the student about his/her
own individual contributions- (an abstract ?)
a self-evaluation form or a peer-evaluation form
p. 13-16
an individual laboratory report or complete
Project report
rough work or a record of data collected
photographs, e.g. of a final poster produced by
the group that includes the participation of the
candidate whose work is being sent
Evaluation of Personal Skills:
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Evaluate yourself (student 1) and each of the
other members of your group on each of the
skills listed in the table below:
Use the following evaluation scale:
1 = did not display the skill at all
2 = displayed the skill to some extent
3 = did all that could be expected in this
respect
N = I did not have an opportunity to observe
this skill
Example of Process to Identify
a group 4 Project:
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Step 1: Identify major topics: e.g., body,
pollution, water, recycling, air, light,
ENERGY, nutrition, waste, agriculture.
Step 2: Narrow topic down to one: e.g.,
light
Step 3: Narrow it down to a focused
question, e.g., How can light help
increase quality of life?
Example of Process to Identify a
group 4 Project (cont.):
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Step 4: Students in each subject come up with
issues in their own areas.
 and create a hypothesis
Step 5: Students in each subject narrow these
down to what they can collect in terms of data
and investigations.
Broad Topic: Sick Building Syndrome
Focused Question: How do the environmental conditions in a given
building cause illness?
• Biology issues: Survey of symptoms, research into existing
medical data: studies of respiratory illnesses, research on
organisms --cause/effect
• Chemistry Issues: Call Health Department to find out tests for
sick building e.g. in humidity studies, harmful gases,, etc. CO,
CO2, particulates, water analysis, investigations of Brownian
motion; Rn detection, condensation patterns
• Physics Issues: measurement of electromagnetic fields, air
flow patterns, R factors, temperature of the buildings
•
DT Issues: design green buildings, air flow systems, detectors
Evaluation of Personal Skills:
Personal Skills
 Accepted responsibility to contribute to
team
 Encouraged the contributions of others
 Recognized the contributions of others
 Showed self-motivation and perseverance
 Showed ethical behavior in personal
relations and reporting results
 Paid due attention to environmental
impacts
Broad Topic
:ENERGY
Focused Question:
First you need to discuss within
your group what are you going to
investigate about energy.
“Brain storming”
Broad Topic
:
ENERGY
• Biology issues:
• Chemistry Issues:
• Physics Issues:
• D.T Issues: