Independent Study – Plant Growth Investigation
Objective
Design an inquiry (that you will conduct throughout this unit) to determine the factors that affect
plant growth (e.g., the effects on plant growth of the quantity of nutrients, the quantity and
quality of light, and factors such as temperature and water retention or percolation rate).
**Submit a proposal for your project that includes a) an overview or introduction to what you will
be doing and how you will be carrying out the project and where, b) background research about
your plant, procedure, or the theory behind your project with references in proper format, and c)
a hypothesis that matches your purpose. Due Thursday May 5, 2011
Lab Report Requirements
 Purpose
o Introduce the plant you have chosen – discuss pertinent details like growth
conditions, history, past research, etc. You will likely need to include references
for this section.
o Describe plan and purpose
o Describe why you are doing this investigation. What do you hope to find out?
 Hypothesis
 Materials
o List all materials and where applicable include commercial names and company.
 Procedure
o Written in past tense
o Demonstrate organized plan, steps/your work needs to be explained so that it
could be reproduced by someone else.
 Observations
o Provide complete, thorough, organized observations that have been made at
regular intervals during growth of plant
o Include a log of the dates you took observations of your plant(s): you could include
date, time, weather, plant measurements, general health of plant, soil quality,
number of leaves, colour, length, roots (observed at end of
investigation/experiment).
 Discussion
o Describe and discuss results.
o Explain how your results apply/relate to real life
o Extend your results to a future prediction, what other investigation could be done?
o Are there any sources of error? Would you do anything differently?
 Conclusion
o What did you learn from your investigation?
Plant Lab Report Rubric
Category
Knowledge/ Understanding
knowledge of facts and terms
understanding of concepts
50-59%
(Level 1)
The student:
60-69%
(Level 2)
demonstrates limited
background knowledge
of plant
demonstrates some
background knowledge
of plant
demonstrates limited
understanding of
concepts
demonstrates some
understanding of
concepts
uses planning skills with
limited effectiveness
uses planning skills with
some effectiveness
70-79%
(Level 3)
demonstrates
considerable
background knowledge
of plant
demonstrates
considerable
understanding of
concepts
80-100%
(Level 4)
demonstrates thorough
background knowledge
of plant
demonstrates thorough
understanding of
concepts
Inquiry The student:
Use of planning skills
 understanding the problems (e.g.
formulating questions, identifying
the problem, developing
hypotheses)
- making a plan for solving a problem
Use of processing skills
 carrying out a plan (e.g. collecting
data, questioning, testing revising,
modelling, solving, inferring, forming
conclusions, using equipment
safely)
- Looking back at the solution (e.g.
evaluating reasonableness, making
convincing arguments, reasoning,
justifying, proving, reflecting)
Use of critical/creative thinking
processes (e.g. problem solving,
inquiry)
Communication
uses planning skills with
considerable
effectiveness
uses planning skills with
a high degree of
effectiveness
uses processing skills
uses processing skills
with limited effectiveness with some effectiveness
uses processing skills
with considerable
effectiveness
uses processing skills
with a high degree of
effectiveness
uses critical/creative
thinking processes with
limited effectiveness
uses critical/creative
thinking processes with
some effectiveness
uses critical/creative
thinking processes with
considerable
effectiveness
uses critical/creative
thinking processes with
a high degree of
effectiveness
communicates
information and ideas
with moderate clarity and
precision
communicates for
different audiences and
purposes with some
effectiveness
communicates
information and ideas
with considerable clarity
and precision
communicates for
different audiences and
purposes with
considerable
effectiveness
uses scientific
terminology, symbols,
conventions, and SI
units with considerable
accuracy and
effectiveness
communicates
information and ideas
with a high degree of
clarity and precision
communicates for
different audiences and
purposes with a high
degree of effectiveness
The student:
communication of information and
ideas
communicates
information and ideas
with limited clarity and
precision
communicates for
different audiences and
purposes with limited
effectiveness
Communication for different audiences
(e.g. peers, adults) and purposes (e.g.
to present data, justify a conclusion, to
persuade) in oral, visual, and/or written
forms
use of scientific terminology, symbols, uses scientific
conventions, and standard (SI) units
terminology, symbols,
conventions, and SI
units with limited
accuracy and
effectiveness
Making Connections
Understanding connections among
science, technology, society, and the
environment
uses scientific
terminology, symbols,
conventions, and SI
units with some
accuracy and
effectiveness
uses scientific
terminology, symbols,
conventions, and SI
units with a high degree
of accuracy and
effectiveness
The student:
shows limited
understanding of
connections in familiar
contexts
proposing courses of practical action in
extends analyses of
relation to science- and technologyfamiliar problems into
based problems
courses of practical
action with limited
effectiveness
shows some
understanding of
connections in familiar
contexts
shows considerable
understanding of
connections in familiar
and some unfamiliar
contexts
shows thorough
understanding of
connections in familiar
and unfamiliar contexts
extends analyses of
familiar problems into
courses of practical
action with moderate
effectiveness
extends analyses of
familiar problems into
courses of practical
action with considerable
effectiveness
extends analyses of
familiar and unfamiliar
problems into courses of
practical action with a
high degree of
effectiveness