Year 10 Joy Biology
Feedback for lab report – Effect of temperature on DNA extraction from a banana
Criteria B: Inquiring and designing
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
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Explain a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigatin
No background information descibing why we may want to do this experiment – context
Why is this subject relevant to us?
Formulate a testable hypothesis and explain it using scientific reasoning
Many said DNA being extracted – but didn’t mention from what in their aim/title/hypothesis
More correct scientific reasoning in the hypothesis – WHY do you think you will get the results
you have predicted?
Explain how to manipulate the variables, and explain how data will be collected
Variables more detail – amounts, sizes
How will you control the control variables
How will you manipulate the independent variable
How will you measure the dependent variable
No mention of how to collect data
Design scientific investigations
No risk assessments
Methods must be very detailed
Many unfinished methods – ALL steps must be included in detail
Quantities of equipment
Describe how the DNA is actually measured
Should be able to give this to someone and they can go and do the experiment without asking
questions
Should refer to variables
Criteria C: Processing and evaluating
i.
ii.
iii.
Present collected and transformed data
Table must be correct OR graph must be correct
Title, axes labels on graph
Line graph – with curved line (should look like an unhappy smile)
Units included on axes
Table needs to be very clear what you are recording
Interpret data and explain results using scientific reasoning
Include units from your table
Very little scientific reasoning used to try to explain results
WHY did you get the results that you did?
Evaluate the validity of a hypothesis based on the outcome of the scientific
investigation
iv.
v.
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Must mention your hypothesis – do your results agree or disagree? Why?
Must include results from your experiment to back it up
What could your hypothesis be re-written as?
Evaluate the validity of the method
Not many mentioned variables – did this make method fair?
Not many mentionined if method was fair
What did or didn’t make the method valid
Explain improvements or extensions to the method
Only a few included this
What went wrong in the experiment
How did that affect the results?
What could be done to improve your results
Why would that make it better?
Back up scientifically
Other
Very few bibliographies/references
No in text citation
Not enough references
You need to do more research – and then show me your understanding in the text – back up your
points with scientific information, and tell me where you learnt that information.
Overall presentation – not good!
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Underline or make subheadings bold
Leave spaces between each part
Make sure whole table is on one page
List method using numbers
Put variables into a table
Make sure units are on table/graph
Make sure all labels in table are on one line (words are not split over two lines)
Put risk assessment into a table
Put improvements for method into a table
Check spelling, grammar and sentence formation