Investigating scientifically
in Stage 4
Students from Woolgoolga High School
Support for Student Research Projects
A teaching resource developed by the
Science Unit, Curriculum K-12 Directorate
Part three: student worksheets
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© State of NSW, Department of Education and Training K-12 Curriculum Directorate, 2004
Downloading, copying or printing of materials in this document for personal use or on behalf
of another person is permitted. Downloading, copying or printing of material from this
document for the purpose of reproduction or publication (in whole or in part) for financial
benefit is not permitted without express authorisation
Acknowledgements
Dagmar Arthur, Relieving Senior Curriculum Advisor, Science, 7-12
Officers of the Science Unit, Curriculum K-12 Directorate
Pt 3, p 2
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Scientific investigations: in the Stage 4
classroom
This is a resource for teachers focusing on scientific investigations in the
Stage 4 classroom. The intention of the resource is to assist teachers to lead
students toward completing a Student Research Project (SRP) as described
in the Science Years 7-10 Syllabus (2003). This Stage 4 resource
complements a further resource, Investigating Scientifically in Stage 5, which
leads students towards independence in conducting a SRP. The two
resources contain suggested teaching activities as a sequence of lesson
clusters. They also contain resource sheets for teachers and worksheets for
students.
To reduce file size for downloading, the resource has been produced in three
parts:
Part one:
Teaching sequence or lesson clusters
Part two:
Resource sheets
Part three: Student worksheets
Student projects contribute to the development of the skills of working
scientifically as described in the syllabus, page 21 and through outcomes 4.13
– 4.22 and related content. Some skills, such as choosing and using
equipment and making and recording measurements, can be taught explicitly
in many situations in the science classroom, and are not focused on in these
materials, however their significance in conducting scientific investigations is
acknowledged.
In Stage 4, the syllabus provides the expectation that students are
predominantly participating in a modelled and or guided teaching approach. A
modelled approach is when the teacher uses examples to demonstrate what
is to be learned. A guided approach is when the teachers provides support or
scaffolds for what is to be learned. The approaches provide many
opportunities for formative assessment.
In Stage 5, students would typically participate in a guided teaching approach
and would be expected to move toward an independent phase in which they
are expected to plan, conduct and present their investigation independently.
This will provide a wealth of opportunities for both formative and summative
assessment.
The sequence of lesson clusters presented in these resources could be
incorporated into a single unit where a suitable context has been identified to
address targeted Prescribed Focus Areas and Knowledge and understanding
outcomes and content.
Alternatively, individual clusters could be incorporated, where appropriate, into
a number of units of work having different contexts. It is assumed that the
context/s chosen by the teacher would provide the motivation and interest for
the students involved
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 3
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Student worksheet 1
Pt 3, p 4
Mind map template
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 2
Investigating scientifically
A. Fill in the boxes below to show the steps you would take when planning,
conducting and reporting a scientific investigation.
Title:
Trial
method
B. Some students were asked to design an experiment to test the hypothesis
“That the bigger the width of a candle the more quickly it will burn down”
They were provided with five of candles of varying width, a ruler, some
matches and a stopwatch.
Use the Levels of openness of inquiry in laboratory activities from Resource
sheet 3.2 to identify the level for the investigation described.
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 5
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Student worksheet 3
Hypotheses
Write hypotheses for the following questions that students have suggested.
Q.1. Which liquid causes teeth to decay fastest?
Q.2. Which balls bounce the highest?
Q.3. What food types will ants remove the quickest?
Q.4. Is it true that the taller you are, the longer your arms will be?
Q.5. Do plants die if watered with slightly salty water?
Pt 3, p 6
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 4
Fair testing
Groups of students set up the equipment and conducted the following test.
PROCEDURE RECOUNT: Effect of coatings
Equipment used:
 three shiny silver cans,
 three grey (painted) cans,
 three black (painted) cans
 nine temperature probes
The cans were all the same size and made of the same material.
Method:
1. 100 mL of water at room temperature was poured into each
container.
2. The cans were placed in a row along a brick wall in full
sunlight.
3. A temperature probe was placed in each can.
4. The probes were programmed to record the temperature
every thirty minutes over a period of four hours around
noon.
5. The data from the probes was collected by a computer using
appropriate software.
6. The data was presented on screen as a table.
Questions
1. For the experiment described above, name:

the dependent variable

the independent variable.
2. Suggest a hypothesis that the students may have been testing.
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 7
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Student worksheet 5
Fair testing
1. Complete the following variables tables
Question: Why does bread go mouldy
Area or focus: Will mould grow in bright light?
Hypothesis: The greater the amount of UV light the less mould will grow.
What I will keep the same
What I will change
What I will measure
Controlled variables
Independent variable
Dependent variable
2. What type of investigation would this be? Refer to Resource sheet 8
Pt 3, p 8
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 6
Fair testing vocabulary
Name ______________________________________ Group _________
Cut out the definition in table and paste them next to the correct term.
1.
Hypothesis
2.
Variable kept
constant
3.
Control
4.
5.
Independent
variable
Dependant
variable
6.
Variable
Table: cut out and paste in correct space above.
Any factor in an experiment that
changes
The factor in an experiment that
responds to the purposely changed
factor
Any factor that is not allowed to
change
A group or sample that is used as a
standard for comparison
A statement of a possible relationship
between the independent and
dependent variables
Used to reduce the effects of chance
errors
Adapted from Teaching Experimental Design (2003 – 2004). With permission from M. J.
Krech. Available at: http://home.earthlink.net/~mjkrech/Krech/design.htm#cothron
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 9
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Student worksheet 7
Procedural recounts
Following is a procedural recount that a student used for an investigation. The
investigation was based on the hypothesis: The blue flame on a Bunsen
burner heats water faster than other flames.
The steps of the procedural recount are out of order. Place a number next to
each step to indicate the order that was followed.
 The Bunsen with the blue flame was placed under a beaker.
 The beakers were placed on a gauze mat over a tripod.
 The beakers were rinsed with tap water and 100 mL of water was poured
into each.
 Three beakers were filled with 100 mL of tap water.
 The temperature of the water in each beaker was measured with a
thermometer.
 The Bunsen with the yellow flame was placed under a beaker.
 Steps 1 to 11 were repeated twice.
 The Bunsen burner was lit with the hole open to produce a blue flame.
 The Bunsen burners with the yellow flames were placed under a beaker.
 The time taken for the water to reach 95o C was recorded for each beaker.
 Two Bunsen burners were lit with the holes closed to produce yellow
flames.
 A Bunsen burner was lit with the hole closed to produce a yellow flame.
 A thermometer was held in the water while the beaker was heated.
.
Pt 3, p 10
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 8
Procedural recount evaluation
Suggested questions for students
These questions can be answered by referring to Resource sheet 9.2 or to the
method from an alternative investigation.
1. What practical problems might have been encountered with the method?
2. What problems with measurement might have been encountered?
3. What other measurement process could have been used to increase
reliability and accuracy?
4. Are there any variables that have not been adequately controlled?
5. What risk assessment should be carried out if any?
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 11
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Student worksheet 9
Procedure evaluation
Suggested questions for students
These questions can be answered by referring to Resource sheet 9.3 or to the
method from an alternative investigation.
1. What would you need to do to change this procedure to a procedural
recount? Change one of the steps as an example.
2. What might the hypothesis have been for this project?
3. How would you record the results? What type of graph would you use if
any?
4. Have the variables been adequately controlled?
Pt 3, p 12
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 10
Tables - questions
a) Draw up a table to show the size of the planets in our solar system and
their distances to the sun.
b) How was the average or arithmetic mean determined in the table on
Resource sheet 10.2 ?
c)
What is the range for the data for the Bread with no light described in the
table on Resource sheet 10.2 ?
d) Draw a line to show the spread for each of the three columns for the
amount of light on the column graph below.
The Effect of Light on the Growth of Mould
6
Column Graphs
5
No of Colonies
Reprinted from the Board of Studies Science Stages 4-5 Support Document (1999)
4
Available
at:
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/pdf_doc/science45_sup99.pdf
3
This graph type may be used to display data which consist of
2
separate or distinct parts (discrete data). In this graph type, the
horizontal
axis in equal intervals and vertical columns of equal width
1
are drawn to the appropriate height of the vertical scale.
0
No light
One light
Two lights
No of lights
e) These lines may be called error bars. Do any of these error bars overlap for
the Effect of UV light on the growth of mould sample?
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 13
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Student worksheet 11
Analysing results
Suggested questions for students
These questions can be answered by referring to Resource sheet 12 or to the
results from an alternative investigation.
For the investigation, Will mould grow in bright light?, the results are provided
as a table on Resource sheet 10.2 and a graph on Resource sheet 11.1.
1. Do the results show any trends?
2. Has the most appropriate graph been used to show the results?
3. Is there any significant difference between the different conditions of UV
light?
4. How reliable are the results? How accurate were the measurements?
5. How valid are the results?
6. How well were all variables identified and controlled?
7. Were the number of trials / samples appropriate?
Pt 3, p 14
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
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Student worksheet 12
Conclusions
Suggested question for students
This question can be answered by referring to Resource sheet 13.2 or to the
conclusion from an alternative investigation.
Q.1. Has the student who wrote the conclusion answered the questions on
Resource sheet 13.1?
Q.2. If not, which questions have not been addressed?
Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Dec 2004
Pt 3, p 15