1. IB Internal Assessment

2. The new Science IA for 2016 20% of your IB score
Each student testing in IB Biology (May 2016) will design, conduct, analyze, and discuss their own unique research question.
You can use other students as “extra hands” (cannot contribute anything to the design, etc.)
Other students can peer edit the IA and the teacher can give feedback one time.
Can be an extension of your own interests or can use labs conducted in class from BioH, IB Year 1, and the very beginning of IB Year 2 as a springboard and explore the concepts further.
1 IA assessed in 5 areas
Personal Engagement (maximum 2 points)
Exploration (maximum 6 points)
Analysis (maximum 6 points)
Evaluation (maximum 6 points)
Communication (maximum 4 points)
24 points possible
20% of your IB score

3. PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT How engaged are you with the exploration?
Were you creative in making it your own?
Score of 0-2

4. Personal Engagement Assessed by looking for:
Did you explain why your variables have a relationship?
Did you explain why this topic matters to you?
Clear evidence of independent thinking, creativity, initiative in the design.
Also included here  Is the science correct in your explanation of personal engagement?

5. EXPLORATION Did you establish the scientific context for your work?
Do you have a clear and focused research question?
How effective and complete is the design of your exploration?
Did you address the significant factors that may influence the relevance, reliability, and sufficiency of your data.
Did you show an awareness of ethics, safety for yourself and what is being explored, and the environment?
Score of 0-6

6. Scientific Context (aka “Background”)
How does your exploration relate to biology?
What would someone need to know or understand about biology in order to understand your question?
Completely explained
Explained well
darn

7. IMPORTANT! Part of “Communication”
Example:
Osmosis is the movement of water from areas of high water availability (hypotonic) to areas of lower water availability (hypertonic) and it is an important process in all living things. 1 Without it, water would not enter roots cells from the soil nor would water be able to enter body cells. 2 1
2 insert correct citation here
IMPORTANT! Part of “Communication”

8. Clear and focused research question
Does it state exactly what you want to find out?
Levels of Independent Variable (IDV) stated?
Dependent Variable (DV) stated?
Example of unfocused question: How do different concentrations affect osmosis?
Example of a more focused question: How do different concentrations of sucrose affect osmosis?
Example of a focused question: How do the following sucrose concentrations, 0M, 0.2M, 0.4M, 0.6M, 0.8M, and 1.0M, affect osmosis in 1cm2 apple cubes?

9. Hypothesis
Even though IB doesn’t specifically require a hypothesis, it is best to write one as it will help with the PE portion of the assessment
Write your hypothesis in a way that indicates how it will be tested (a testable hypothesis).
Example: A worker on a fish-farm notices that his trout seem to have more fish lice in the summer, when the water levels are low, and wants to find out why. His research leads him to believe that the amount of oxygen is the reason - fish that are oxygen stressed tend to be more susceptible to disease and parasites.
Example: “I think rainbow trout will suffer more lice in low water conditions because there is less oxygen in the water.”

10. Advantage to writing a testable hypothesis:
Your hypothesis leads into your experimental design
You may want to set up a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis.
statistical analysis of your data will allow you to reject either the null or the alternative hypothesis
Allows you to offer an extension to your lab exploration

11. Variables
any factor, trait, or condition that can exist in differing amounts or types
An experiment has three kinds of variables:
Independent (IDV)  what is different in order to test the hypothesis/answer the question
Dependent (DV)  the data that is collected
What data are you collecting as you stand at the lab bench?
Controlled  these are all the other things that could be different but you want to keep constant
This ensures that the data you collect allows you to answer the question with confidence.

12. IDV & DV
QUESTION: How do the following sucrose concentrations, 0M, 0.2M, 0.4M, 0.6M, 0.8M, and 1.0M, affect osmosis in 1cm2 apple cubes?
Independent (IDV): what you are manipulating in order to test your hypothesis/answer your research question
Levels of sucrose concentration
Dependent (DV): the data you collect (NOT what you turn it into)
Correct DV example: mass of apple cubes
Incorrect DV example: percent change of mass
(you had to do math to get this #)

13. Controlled variables
QUESTION 2: How do the following sucrose concentrations, 0M, 0.2M, 0.4M, 0.6M, 0.8M, and 1.0M, affect osmosis in 1cm2 apple cubes?
Controlled variables: What things can you think of that must be kept constant? Brainstorm with a partner!
Temperature
Volume/amount of sucrose solution
Time apple cubes in solution
Equipment taking the reading
Type of apple
Method for preparing apple cubes for massing
Size and shape of cube
What are things that are not really important to list here?
All IDV levels tested in the same room
Same level of humidity outside
Same amount of light
Same person cutting apple cubes

14. Controlled variables can be displayed in a chart or in list form
Controlled variables can be displayed in a chart or in list form. They should follow the IDV and DV.
Controlled Variables Chart:
Controlled Variables
(state the variable; no magic #; list what is needed
How Method Allows for the Control of these Variables
(explain how not “why”)
Temperature
All of the beakers containing sucrose solution and apple cubes were all kept at room temperature (23ºC) Y Z
Note the use of the metric system!

15. Another example, different format
Controlled Variables Chart:
Temperature: All of the beakers containing sucrose solution and apple cubes were all kept at room temperature (23ºC)
Volume/amount of sucrose solution: all beakers contained 100 mL of solution
Time apple cubes in solution: all apple cubes submerged in solution for 24 hours
Equipment taking the reading: --- (specific name)
Type of apple: (species)
Method for preparing apple cubes for massing: ---
Size and shape of cube: ---

16. “Method,” “Sufficient,” “Relevant”:
Develops a Method: Procedure is complete & explains all necessary steps
Sufficient:
different levels of IDV
at least 5 trials at each level of IDV (minimum of 5 trials allows for standard deviation analysis of the data)
Need enough data points to run Chi Square, t-test, and/or st dev
Relevant:
data collected will actually allow you to answer the question
Ex: If you are trying to measure the amount of bacteria that is on your desk as the day progresses & it is used, you must sanitize the desk before you begin the experiment.

17. Other Exploration Design requirements:
Specific list of all materials
NO: 2x3x4cm container
YES: 500mL clear glass beaker
Draw (and label) or take a picture of experimental set up
State step-by-step instructions on how to conduct the experiment
Fig 1: insert title here
Fig 1: insert title here

18. Step-by step in the procedure:
The rule of thumb in writing these steps is to provide enough detail so that a competent scientist in the field can repeat, or replicate, the procedure.

19. Other Exploration Design requirements:
If conducting fieldwork, how ensure your sample is random?
Will discuss a few ways in the Ecology unit.
Must explain relevant safety, ethical, and environmental issues and how they were handled.
Must have signed permission slips for all human participants
NO animal can be subjected to conditions outside their normal range
If no safety issues, then state that.

20. Practice IA Scoring for PE and EXP

22. Practice scoring: IB Sample #2
Background?
Background?: yes!

23. Focused Question? Max score for exp? Did they have a question?
yes
Was it focused? no
Max score for exp?
no higher than a ----

24. Practice scoring: IB Sample #1
*Before we look at the controls, let’s score their Background & Question.
QUESTION (this person embedded their question information in a hypothesis)
HAVE Background INFO?
yes

25. Method/Design tannin in leaves experiment (Ex #1)
All steps included that allow another person to complete the experiment?
No; How were the leaves chosen?
Sufficient Data?
No; only 3 levels of IDV and only 2 trials
Not really quantitative; more qualitative (better if he quantified the amount of light)
Relevant Data
Yes; Student is equating bitter tannin taste to level of light & he is tasting for bitterness.

26. Focused Question?: Yes! Focused question?
QUESTION (this person embedded their question information in a hypothesis)
Focused Question?: Yes!

27. Example #2: Controlling the variables (pass out procedure handout)
What controls do you see in this procedure?
Test tubes left in water bath for 30 minutes
All apple cube sizes are 1cm3
Same pH
Same amount of substrate (2 cubes of apple)
Volume of enzyme (pectinase) in each tube
What else is controlled but isn’t listed in the chart?
Total volume in each test tube
Same type of apple
Method of crushing the apple to extract juice

28. Method/Design  pectinase & pectin (Ex #2)
All steps included that allow another person to complete the experiment?
No; Students Introduction mentioned a rate of reaction for pectinase & the experiment didn’t discuss how to measure the rate of the reaction.
Sufficient Data?
No; only 1 trial completed for each level of IDV (need at least 3; 5 is better)
Reality of how much juice 2 small apple cubes will yield  small; apparatus says to use 25mL beaker & this would be too big
Relevant Data
Yes
EXP score?: ----