Chifley College
Mount Druitt Campus
ASSESSMENT TASK:
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT
Student:
Task Number: 4
Subject: Science
Year:
9
Class:
Teacher:
Weighting:
Marks:
Date Issued:
Date Due:
15% of Yr 9
40
16/07/2014
13/08/2014
Outcomes Assessed
5.13 Independently producing appropriate investigation plans.
5.14 Undertaking first-hand investigations independently with safety and competence.
5.15 Gathering first-hand data accurately.
5.17 Explains patterns and relationships in data.
5.18 Using appropriate forms of communication to present information.
5.19 Using critical thinking skills to evaluate information and draw conclusions.
Task Description
Students will design and conduct an experiment on the conservation of energy, by examining the effect
of one variable on another when bouncing balls. Students will analyse results and present them in an
appropriate form.
Task Instructions and Requirements
The task is divided into three parts, A, B and C.
PART A – Plan an experiment to study the effect of height from which you drop a ball on the height to
which a ball will bounce up. Note: Use only one ball.
PART B – Conduct this experiment according to your plan (making modifications as needed), and
carefully measure and record your results. Your results and any other notes must be recorded.
PART C – Write a detailed experimental report for this experiment, using the proper scientific report
format you have learned in your Science course (a summary is included in the supplementary materials)..
Submission requirements for all Take Home Written Tasks
A. The report will be word processed or neatly written on A4 paper.
B. Submitted in a plastic sleeve.
C. Length Requirements: 1 to 3 A4 pages including diagrams.
D. Assessment sheet must be attached to the front of the task.
PART A: Planning
Step 1 Obtain a ball (any type that bounces: tennis-, basket-, rubber- etc), measuring tape, marker and
a rough book. When you do any rough work, notes, measurements or calculations, it should all be
recorded.
Step 2 Design an experiment that will test the effects of the height from which you drop the ball on
the height the ball bounces up to.
Questions you will need to consider when planning this experiment:
 Will you need someone to assist you with doing this experiment? (It is very difficult to both drop a
ball and measure the bounce at the same time).
 Which are your dependent and independent variables?
 Which variables will you have to control, and how?
 You will have to measure distances – how will you do this?
 What is your hypothesis? (you must have one before doing the experiment)
Step 3 Complete the coversheet before doing the experiment.
PART B: Conducting experiment.
Conduct (do) this experiment according to your plan and record the results in the table provided.
PART C: Writing Scientific Report.
Write up your experimental report in detail, using the proper scientific report format you have learned
in your Science class and that is included with this task.
You must choose how to display your results (graphs, tables, etc), and explain any calculations you choose
to use. Include both a discussion of your results, and a conclusion to your report.
 Your report must be typed or neatly written onto A4 sized paper.
 The assessment task handout must be attached to the written report.
Scientific Report Format
To achieve high marks, your assessment task must be submitted in the proper format for an
experimental report. The following are some guidelines on what the parts of a Scientific Report should
contain.
Title
Write an appropriate title relating to the experiment.
Aim
The aim describes what you are trying to find out in the experiment. It is usually written as a ‘To’
statement, for example “To find out which battery lasts longest.”
Hypothesis
This is your prediction of what the results of the experiment will show. It is not a guess – you should
have some reasons for making your prediction. You should write this before you do the experiment. Just
because you didn’t predict the outcome correctly doesn’t mean you failed – it just means you need to
explain why.
Equipment/Materials
You must include a detailed list of all the materials and equipment that you used in your experiment.
Method
The method lists the steps you carried out during the experiment. It should be detailed enough that any
other researcher could do the experiment exactly the same way you did it. It is usually a numbered list
of instructions, ie. a procedure text type.
A diagram is often included in the method as it can give a clear, concise description of how any
apparatus was set up.
Results
The results section describes what happened in the experiment. It should neatly show any raw data
collected. You can also show the results in a different format that makes them clearer or easier to
compare, or makes it easier to see any patterns in the data. A graph is constructed using the results.
Discussion
This section contains your explanation of why the results are the way they are. This could be your
opinions of the reasons behind any patterns you observed, your thoughts as to why the experiment
agreed or disagreed with your hypothesis, or any reasons why your results may have been unclear You
can also include any comments on the way you did your experiment, and suggestions for doing it better in
the future.
Conclusion
The conclusion explains what you found out. (This is an explanation text.) It should include an answer to
the question posed in the aim, and a comment on the hypothesis.
Evaluation
Identify the problem and describe the strategy to solve the problem.
BALL BOUNCING EXPERIMENT MARKING CRITERIA
Outcome
Question
Subheading
5.13
1
Title
5.13
1
Aim
5.13
2
Hypothesis
5.13
3
5.13
4
Equipment
Method
(design)
5.13
5
5.13
6
5.13
7
5.13
8
5.18
14
Diagram(s)
5.13
9
Independent and
Dependent
Variables
Criteria
Appropriate title
Inappropriate title
Appropriate aim
Inappropriate or no aim
Appropriate hypothesis
Inappropriate or no hypothesis
Full equipment list
Partial or no equipment list
Complete use of all variables to create a fair test
Incomplete use of variables
No use of variables
Correct use of control
Incorrect use of control
No control
Steps in point form and sequenced
Either one above correct
Neither above correct
More than one trial
Only one trial
Appropriate measurements
Inappropriate or no measurements
Diagram(s) clearly drawn and labelled
Diagram(s) clearly drawn but not labelled
Diagram not clearly drawn and labeled
Marks
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
1
0
Marks
Awarded
/1
/1
/1
/1
/2
/2
/2
/1
/1
/2
Results
Correct identification of independent and dependent variables
One of the above two variables correct
No variables or incorrectly identified variables
Correct table format
Incorrect or no table format
Units of measurements depicted correctly
Units of measurements not included or incorrectly depicted
2
1
0
1
0
1
5.18
10
5.18
11
5.15
12
Trial data depicted correctly
Trial data not included or incorrectly depicted
0
1
0
5.15
13
Average calculated correctly
Average not calculated or incorrectly calculated
1
0
5.18
15
5.18
16
Appropriate graph
Inappropriate graph
No graph
Correct title, axes labelled correctly, axes correctly scaled, units
correct, points plotted correctly
Any four above correct
Any three above correct
Any two above correct
Only one above correct
Graph incorrect
Analyses results accurately and completely
Analyses results accurately but incompletely
Analyses results inaccurately but attempted to be thorough
Attempted to analyse results
No analysis of results
2
1
0
5
/2
/1
/1
/1
/1
5.19
17
Graph
Discussion
5.19
18
Conclusion
Answers aim and matches results
Either answers aim or matches results
Inappropriate conclusion or no conclusion
5.18
19
Presentation
Scientific title, all sub-headings on this page included, neat, extra
effort
Any three of the above
Any two of the above
Only one OR none of the above
Identifies the problem (suitable problem chosen to investigate)
Inappropriate / unsuitable problem
5.19
19
Evaluation
Description of another strategy to solve the problem and an
indication of what the solution could be
Either a suggested strategy or a solution
No other strategy suggested
Indicates if new strategy is better than the one used in the report
No indication of appropriateness of the new strategy
WRITTEN REPORT TOTAL MARKS
4
3
2
1
0
4
3
2
1
0
2
1
0
3
2
1
0
1
0
2
1
0
1
0
/2
/5
/4
/2
/3
/1
/1
/1
/40
PART A: Independent Research task Coversheet
1.
What problem do you intend to investigate?
________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
Describe briefly how you think you will investigate this problem.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
What is your hypothesis for this experiment?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Why have you formed this hypothesis?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Are there variables to consider? If yes what are they?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
Of these variables, which is your dependent variable, which is your independent variable, and which
variables are you going to keep unchanged?
Dependent Variable
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Independent Variable
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Variables to be kept constant
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
What is your control treatment for this experiment? If you won’t be using one, explain why?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Part B Use the table below to record your results.
Height from which
Height of the first bounce
the ball is dropped
Trial 1
Trial 2
(cm)
100
120
140
160
(cm)
Trial 3
Average height of
the first bounce
(cm)