2017-2018 Science Fair

Assess how you conducted your experiment.

● Please move this document to your ​shared Biology folder.

● To complete this, you will need to refer to your project proposal.
● After you answer all the questions, remember to ​submit the document in Canvas​.

Sample size
1. Below, put what you planned for sample size and/or repeated measures (#9 in experimental proposal).
To measure the same plants with the same type of water, but have different groups of plants that are
watered with different amounts of water. .

2. Below, put the actual sample size and/or repeated measures you completed by the deadline (February
12).
The actual sample size was creating three separate groups of water. The two water groups were Tap
water and Distilled water. I watered the two groups on the schedule with the same amounts of water.

3. If there are differences between your initial plan and what you completed by the deadline, explain
a) why they are different,
They are different because the subject seemed more interesting and manageable, and the lettuce was not
in the right weather to grow enough leaves to weight them.
b) what you could have done differently to reach your goal on time.
Started growing the plants earlier.
Procedure
4. Below, paste a copy of your planned steps from your design document (#15).
1. Buy materials such as, soil, trowels, 30 lettuce sprouts , and make a watering schedule based
on the three groups, and how often they will be watered for each water group.
2. Go to the porch of my house with the lettuce sprouts
3. Separate the 30 lettuce sprouts that you will put 10 in each water control group.
4. Put the soil inside of the pots and line the pots up in a position of growing.
5. Put the pots were the pots should be within their watering control group.
6. Water each plant on their schedule within the control group.
7. Collect results every week for five weeks by measuring each plant for:
a. Height w/ a ruler
b. Color
c. The surroundings
8. Take the final results and harvest the groups and put them all into a plastic bag
9. Weight each bag and compare the results
10. Gather and the data and organize it.
5. Carefully look over your initial plans. In a numbered or bullet-pointed list below,
a) identify in detail things you actually did differently, and
b) explain why you made each change.
The changed the water amounts into two groups of distilled and tap water because the watering tactic
was more manageable.
The changed the location because it was cold outside.
I took averages of the group instead of having an amount of plants because I feel like it would give more
accurate data.

Variables
6. In your proposal, find your standardized (#8) and extraneous variables (#10) and list them in the table
below.
Standardized variables Extraneous variables

The sunlight they were exposed to Genetics

The temperature they were exposed to Temperature outside
The water amount The amount of sunlight that was given
The watering frequency The gnats that invaded the plants boxes
Location where they were grown
Soil amount
Type of soil

7. Standardized variable review:

Did you successfully standardize all the variables you planned to?
If not, explain why not.
No because towards the end of Week 4 with the second trail of plants one of the boxes were infested with
gnats so I had to move one of the boxes outside.

8. Extraneous variable review:

Were there other factors (that you did not originally list) that you think could have affected your results?
Identify them and explain your answer.
The gnats because I didn’t think they would be attracted to plants, and i think they affected the growth.

Impact on Results
9. Think about all the ways the implementation of your experiment differed from your initial plans (your
answers to questions above).
Discuss how these changes may make your project stronger and/or make it weaker (i.e. make your
results more reliable or less reliable).
Even with my difficulties in the project, I believe the changes were necessary and made my results more
reliable because of the circumstances. THe changes I made helped the temperature workout in my favor
because of the temperature I would of never been able the weight the leaves of the lettuce. The plants
would of died before, so I changed the experiment into plant growth because of the temperature and
weather.
Reflection on learning
In August, y’all shared your thoughts on what the point of school is. Many of your responses involved
building skills. You may recognize some of them in this list below, which has a few of my top priorities for
skills to build in this class.

10. Read over the skills and indicate (with an X or a comment) where you feel you are with each, at this
point in the year.

I think I have I’m making progress. I’m struggling: I see This is a very weak
very strong I feel pretty good some improvement area for me. I don’t feel
skills in this about it. but it’s really hard. I’ve improved at all.

Design X
experiments

Manage​ time & X

long term work

Work​ ​well X
independently:
with focus,
self-reliance, &
initiative

Own ​your own X

learning: take
responsibility for
your work;
know when you
need help and
ask for it.