Urban Agriculture Spring Final Exam: Research Report and Presentation
Due Dates:
Research Report Due: Monday, May 19th, 2014 during 1st period for all students
Digital Presentation due: 5/19/14 for exempt seniors, 5/21/14 for all others
Recipe card due: Monday, May 16th for all students
Dish due: the day you present
Guest invitation due: Tuesday, May 13th for all students
Create a professional research report and presentation based upon the experimental design of your
research topic, data collected and conclusions. The report is to be typed, include subheadings (in bold
type below) for each portion of the experimental design. This report is worth 30% of spring final
average. For exempted seniors, this report is worth a major grade in 6th six weeks.
Include the following in the report (these are subheadings as well):
•
Title
•
Driving Question (stated as a question)
•
Your research on the topic, including works cited
•
Hypothesis (if/then statement). It must be testable, as in, it must be written so that it can be
proven or disproven.
•
Materials List
•
Safety Concerns, if any
•
Procedures listed in numbered order. At end of Procedures section, label and identify
control/experimental group, controlled/independent/dependent variables
•
Data—title, label and display data in a manner that is easy for the reader to understand. Your
data must be recorded electronically onto a digital table/chart, such as is made in Microsoft
Excel, Word or other similar program. The table/chart must have headings across the top
labeling the columns and down the side labeling the rows so that the reader knows the date the
measurement was taken and to which trial that data point is assigned. Including an average at
the end may be appropriate. Ask for advice about this. A graph is appropriate to include.
•
Conclusion:
The conclusion is where you analyze the data for the reader, relate it to your hypothesis and suggest
what the data means. Sometimes the data has inconsistencies or abnormalities. The conclusion is also
where you will address these issues.
The conclusion needs to be written to include the following information in the following order. Make
each part its own paragraph to aid the reader in finding it.
Restate your hypothesis (simply rewrite it so that the reader can be reminded of it)
State whether your hypothesis is supported, refuted or inconclusive
•
Cite your data to support your claim of hypothesis being supported/refuted/inconclusive. In
other words, bring data points from your data section into the conclusion and use the data to
prove your claim. Use multiple data points to support your claim.
•
In separate paragraph from the information above, interpret the data and results for the reader.
Explain what the data means. Tell a story about the data, how it developed, how it changed.
Imagine what caused things to change or not to change in some trials. Discuss the differences
between trials, the differences between the control group and experimental group. Discuss any
abnormalities that occurred that the reader needs to know that may have affected the
outcome. Discuss any discoveries or results of the experiment that were unexpected. Discuss
how these may have affected the outcome of the results.
Responses such as, “there were no abnormalities”, “or nothing unexpected occurred” will be
considered lack of imagination on your part as something unexpected always occurs. No points
will be awarded for such.
•
In a separate paragraph from the information above, discuss what lead you to choose this topic.
Discuss what this research means to our class goals, what it means to you and your interests in
urban agriculture. How does your research contribute to horticulture and/or gardening?
•
In a separate paragraph. Surely the results of this experiment did not completely cure your
curiosity for this topic. Discuss what questions still remain for you in relation to the results of
this experiment. What else do you still wonder? What else needs to be understood about this
topic? Suggest several more driving questions in relation to this experiment that still need to be
answered with more research. Discuss what you would do to modify the experimental design if
you were to continue your research. What more do you need to know about or understand
more to do this experiment more scientifically? What would you do differently? What would
your next hypothesis be in relation to this work so that your experiment and results would be
more accurate and precise? How would you modify the experiment to accommodate your new
hypothesis? Answers like “I wouldn’t do anything differently” will not be accepted (no points
earned) and will be considered avoiding the application of effort. Use your reason and
imagination to address this section.
Other requirements of the Spring Final Exam:
Digital Presentation: Design a digital presentation in powerpoint, prezi, windows movie maker or other.
This must be submitted by Monday, May 19th, 2014 for exempted seniors. All other students must
submit by the end of 1st period on Wednesday, May 21st, 2014. Bring your presentation on a flash drive.
We do this to ensure it can be uploaded and checked to make sure it is compatible with the classroom
computer. Do not email it to me as it will be too large a file.
The presentation is to include the basic information of your experimental design including title, driving
question, hypothesis , brief overview of your research, experimental/control groups,
independent/dependent variables, control groups, brief review of your procedure, photos or diagrams
or your set-up, photos of experiment in progress and at end of experiment, data, the basics of your
conclusion (supported or refuted, how data supports you claim, abnormalities, expectations, meaning of
results, how this supports our class and gardening, what you would do differently if you were to
continue your research). This is worth 40% of the Spring Final Exam grade.
Healthful Appetizer or Dish: Provide a sustainable, organic and locally-sourced appetizer or dish and
recipe card to share with our guests at our research presentation event. You must use at least 75%
locally-sourced and organic ingredients. You may use items from the garden. Exempted seniors that
want to present early will need the dish on Thursday, May 22nd, 2014 at 8:00 AM. All other students will
need to arrange their dish for Monday, May 26th from 8:00 AM. The recipe card is due Monday, May
19th. If your recipe card is submitted on time, I will make copies for you. If not, you must provide 5
copies of it. This is worth 15% of the Spring Final Exam Grade.
Guest for Audience: Create an invitation and coordinate a guest to attend our research presentation
event. Invitations due for review and to be delivered by Tuesday, May 13th. Exempted seniors that want
to present early will need a guest to attend on Thursday, May 22nd, 2014 from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. All
other students will need to arrange their guest on Monday, May 26th from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. It is
preferred that this guest be a gardener or someone connected to horticulture. However, WHS faculty or
staff members or family and adult friends are welcome. This is worth 15% of the Spring Final Exam
Grade.
Research Proposal: The completed research proposal is worth 30% of spring final average.
For exempted seniors, the research proposal, the presentation, dish and guest are worth two major
grades in the 6th six weeks.