This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals Science investigation Advanced PowerPoint Subject:Science Age groups:12–14, 15–16 Topic: EAL Nexus resource Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. © British Council 2015 Source | This resource was originally developed by Simon Beavan and has been adapted by EAL Nexus.
Title An investigation into … An experiment to show …
Key terminology for this investigation EnglishMy first language hypothesis independent variable prediction analysis evaluation
Aim Consider the following: Why are you doing the experiment? What are you trying to find out? What question are you trying to answer?
Variables The variable that I will change is called the independent variable. My independent variable is the … (size of the ice cube). The variable that I will measure is called the dependent variable. My dependent variable is … (the length of time taken). I will keep the other variables the same to make sure it is a fair test. The variables that I will keep the same are called the control variables. My control variables are … Writing about the effects of variables: o the higher the … the faster the … o the more the … the slower the … o the longer the … the more the …
Equipment list Bunsen burner beaker safety goggles thermometer measuring cylinder funnel tripod
Hypothesis What do you think will happen and why? E.g. I think that the larger the size of the ice cube, the longer the time it will take to melt. I predict that sugar will dissolve quicker if I stir it because I am providing energy to speed up the chemical reaction. If I increase the mass of the shoe then the energy taken to pull the shoe down the slope will increase because the shoe will be heavier.
Method First I … After that I … Next I … After several minutes … Then I … Finally I …
Safety I had to take the following safety measures (with reasons why):
Diagram beaker tripod gauze heatproof mat solution
Results table Title … A table to show … (List results in ascending order) Size of ice cube (Independent variable) Time taken to melt (Dependent variable)
Graph/chart to show results
Analysis My results showed that … (comment on the relationship between the variables under consideration). One result that did not seem to fit was …
Conclusion The prediction I made at the beginning of the investigation was … My results supported/undermined my prediction because …
Evaluation I made the experiment a fair test by … My investigation produced reliable/unreliable results because … Another variable I could test would be … If I did the experiment again I would … make the measurements more accurate by … increase the number of times I did the experiment because … take better safety precautions, for example, …