METHODS and MATERIALS Your Second Draft

YOUR SECOND DRAFT Two copies Teacher edited first draft Logbook Second Draft Checklist Includes: Title page, Background info with introductory paragraph (thesis, purpose, eye-catcher), research, and summary paragraph (hypothesis), materials and methods, and Works Cited page.

Eight Weeks That is what time is left from today until your final paper is due. If you are growing plants, get started!!! Take pictures of your project as time progresses – you can use them on January’s display board.

Materials and Methods Step listings are not acceptable – must be in paragraph form. Someone should be able to read your procedure and replicate it exactly. If it cannot be replicated exactly, you need more detail. Include a precise description of the sample. Include any apparatus that was constructed or modified for the study - put extended and detailed explanation in the appendix. List them as Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.

Materials and Methods Describe in detail the procedure used to derive your data and observations in PARAGRAPH form. Should be in PAST tense. Should be in PASSIVE voice - YES: The water was added to the plant in 10.0 mL increments. - NO: I added 10.0 mL of water to the plant.

Materials and Methods Include brand names Use METRIC measurements How are you collecting your data and WHAT are you collecting? Integrate the materials into the procedure. Do not list them separately.

Materials and Methods What is your control? Need a sufficient number of trials No first or second person. No need to say “the researcher”. Leave no gap after the background summary paragraph.

EXAMPLE - TOMATOES Three types of tomatoes were used. The first consisted of ten small Albertsons® market fresh red ripe plum tomatoes. The second type consisted of ten small plum tomatoes obtained each from ten cans of Hunts All Natural Peeled California Whole Tomatoes®. The third type consisted of ten red small roma tomatoes each from ten cans of Progresso Italian Tomatoes®. Each of the thirty samples were placed in a Krups Mini Food Processor® on puree for fifteen seconds. There was no need to strain the resulting liquid because colorimetric methods were not used.

EXAMPLE - TOMATOES A pH probe and Voltage Plotter III® software designed by Vernier® Software were used and the software was run on an Apple IIg® computer. The pH probe measures pH by relating it to the potential developed between two electrodes when immersed in a solution (Vernier 1). Strong acids are electrolytes meaning they contain ions in solution and electrolytes conduct electric currents (Gould 271). The voltage recorded by the probe is a measure of the hydrogen ion activity (Vernier 1). A pH change of 1.0 unit equals a constant change in voltage (Gould 271). The computer converts the voltage reading to a pH value (Gould 271).

EXAMPLE - TOMATOES The pH probe was calibrated using standard buffers of 4.0 and 7.0 using the calibration built into the software. See Appendix A for more details. Each sample consisted of 75.0mL, was transferred to a 400mL Pyrex® measuring cup and each pH reading was performed for 30 seconds. The probe was held in each sample for 30 seconds prior to the first recorded value to insure a more stable reading. A rinsing of the pH probe and measuring cup in Albertsons® Distilled Water followed each sample run to insure that no tomato puree was left on the apparatus or in the cup. One value was recorded for each sample. All calculations were performed using the software Microsoft Excel® run on a MacIntosh Plus® computer.

EXAMPLE OF APPENDIX Appendix A Calibration of the pH probe Using the calibration built into the software, 1.81 volts was assigned to a pH of 7.0 when the probe was held in the 7.0 buffer solution. A pH of 4.0 was given to 2.61 volts when the probe was held in the 4.0 buffer solution. When a test was run using a 7.0 standard solution, the resulting pH was / When a second test was run using the 4.0 pH standard solution, the resulting pH was 4.14+/-0.02.

WHAT I WILL LOOK FOR Methods and Materials _____ includes a control _____ Independent variables are limited _____ can be replicated exactly _____ written in layman’s terms _____ materials: name brand and amount _____ sufficient number of trials _____ in paragraph form _____ Method used to collect data is listed _____ metric only _____ past tense, passive voice

DUE WEDNESDAY Be sure to make edits from first draft See your English teacher for a thesis revision. Fix your works cited page! Turn in: second draft (two copies), teacher edited first draft, second draft checklist, and your logbook.

PROBLEMS WITH PROJECT PLAN Started sentences with non-spelled out numbers. No passive voice No past tense Used first or second person Missing lots of brand names Not enough detail. “Steps C through G were repeated”