Below you will find sample student conclusions (from periods 3 and 4) for the Can You Feel The Difference laboratory. The conclusions are not “perfect”. However, they all have several elements in common: • They follow the 3 paragraph design • Paragraph 1, discusses what we are learning in class and HOW that relates to what we are doing in lab • Paragraph 2, clearly states the hypothesis and WHY the writer chose this hypothesis, clearly states the results of the experiment and if those results agreed with the hypothesis, gives a plausible explanation for the results obtained (WHY might this logically be so), may/may not discuss what went wrong or what was not completed • Paragraph 3, clearly states HOW what you have learn could be applied to solve a problem and/or another QUESTION, regarding this topic, that is interesting • The conclusion was typed • Formal voice was attempted/used (no expressions ‘cuz; stuff that; gonna get; etc) • When read aloud, the 3 paragraphs make sense Example 1: In class we have been studying anatomy of a human system. We learned about what the body systems do, like the circulatory system and how it links up with the respiratory system. The brain and nerves are also a system. During this lab, I tried to determine which part of your arm was most sensitive. I had a hypothesis that your forearm was the most sensitive because it is all soft and soft things seem to be sensitive. I learned that I was completely wrong and that your forearm is the least sensitive. This is probably because we rely on our fingers (the most sensitive part) to detect things that are smooth or bumpy, and not our forearm. I might not apply this information in my life, but recently there have been a lot of blood tests on your forearm (like for diabetes) instead of our finger. Maybe this is because doctors understand that it hurts more to prick your finger than it does to prick your arm. Example 2: In class we have been studying the body system, the nervous system, and sensitivity. They relate to this lab because we were trying to determine which parts of our hands from our forearm to our fingertips were the most sensitive. I thought the palm was the most sensitive because it was like the platform of the hand that helps the fingers stay together and it held stuff so the fingers did not have to carry all the weight. I discovered that the fingertips were the most sensitive. Whenever the paperclip poked my fingertips, I could clearly name out how many tips of the paperclip were poking on my fingers. I think the fingertips are the most sensitive because they are the things that feel the most. Like if you were touching a rough thing you would use your fingertips first and not your whole palm. I will use this information later in life so if I ever want to do a future experiment and see if the sensitivity in my hands has changed. I would like to learn more about the sensitivity of things like my foot or maybe the sensitivity of an animal’s paw. Example 3: In class, we have been studying the meaning of the word stimulus. During this lab, we stimulated our nerves by touching them with a paper clip. During this lab, I was trying to determine what part of my arm is more sensitive, your forearm, palm, or fingertips. My hypothesis was that I thought that my fingertips would be the most sensitive. I thought that my fingertips would be the most sensitive because I use them when I play guitar and when I first started playing, I found out that my fingertips were very sensitive. Because of that experience, I thought that my fingertips would be the most sensitive part of my arm. My data supported my hypothesis; my data proved that my fingertips are the most sensitive part of my arm. I will use the information from this experiment to teach other people how sensitive your fingertips are so people will not injure themselves. I would like to learn more about this subject because it interests me that my fingertips are the most sensitive part of my arm when my forearm has more visible veins running through it. Example 4: In class, we have been studying the nervous system. This related to the lab because your nervous system sends signals to your brain when things happen to different parts of the body, and in the lab I was seeing which part of my arm was most sensitive. I did this by having my partner gently poke my finger tips, palm, and forearm with a paper clip. When this was happening, the nervous system sent signals to my brain about which part of the arm was the most sensitive. I thought that the finger tips would be the most sensitive. My reason for thinking this was because when you touch something, you do not use your forearm or your palm, but your fingers. I was partially correct. When the paper clip tips were closer together, the finger tips were more sensitive. But, when the paper clip tips were further apart, the sensitivity levels of the different parts of the arm were more even. This experiment cold be used to solve a real world problem, like if an athlete gets an injury. To figure out how bad the injury is, you might touch the area where there is pain to see how sensitive it is. Example 5: In class, we have been studying about the human body, blood, the heart, and automatic reactions. We studied how the brain and the nerves work. During this lab, I was trying to determine which of the following parts of my body is the most sensitive: forearm, palm, and the fingertips. My hypothesis was: the most sensitive part of my body is my fingertips. I thought this because blind people read with their fingertips; therefore, their fingertips must be sensitive. What I discovered was the my palm and my fingertips feel the same. Maybe this is because you need your fingertips so often you need to know what is going on around you. I will apply this information to know that I have to be careful with all of the parts of my body. Even if something does not appear to hurt, it might still be dangerous. Example 6: In class we have been studying the nervous system. The nervous system relates to the lab we conducted in class because nerves run throughout your whole body and make us sensitive to touch. During this lab, I tried to determine which body part is the most sensitive, the forearm, the palm of your hand, or your fingertips. I thought it would result to be the palm of my hand because it is constantly touching so many things, such as a basketball or cup. My data did not support my hypothesis; I discovered that the fingertips are the most sensitive. Maybe this is because there are many nerve endings I your fingertips, causing more sensitivity. Also, you grip and touch objects with your fingertips the most. I will use the information I learned from this experiment to be more aware of the sensitivity of m fingertips, forearm, and the palm of my hand. I would like to learn more about this subject because I enjoy learning about the nervous system in class. I also have a question about the topic at hand. I am wondering is if a different body part out of the three is the most sensitive when a person has fibromyalgia. Example 7: In class, we have been studying the nervous system. Within this topic, we are looking deeper into how nerves connect to the brain. During this lab, I was trying to determine if my forearm was more sensitive than my palm and fingertips. I thought this because the skin on my forearm is less rough than my palm and fingertips. My data did not support my hypothesis. Based on the results, my fingertips are the most sensitive. I think my fingertips were proven to be the most sensitive because the skin on them is probably thinner. I will use the information I learned in this experiment to understand why a paper cut on your finger hurts way more than a cut on your arm. I still have a question about the topic we are studying. I am wondering what the speed is of the nerve sending signals to the brain.