Lesson 9 - Formal Lab Reports Student handout What you need to include to get full marks on every lab report this year (easy marks)

Parts of a Formal Lab Report PROBLEM HYPOTHESIS PROCEDURE - step by step instructions on what you will be doing DIAGRAMS - any helpful diagrams of the test should be included 5. VARIABLES - list the manipulated variable and responding variable 6. CONTROLS - all of the controlled factors that have been accounted for MATERIALS - all materials used in the test should be included OBSERVATIONS - table of recorded observations ANALYSIS - any and all calculations, graphs and charts - identify the key numbers in the graph (lowest, and highest) CONCLUSION - Restate you hypothesis & whether your hypothesis was correct or not - Make a statement about “what you learned”

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 1 = PROBLEM This is a simplified statement of what we plan on investigating. Heading 2 = HYPOTHESIS This is a carefully worded statement making the problem testable. State what your doing and what your looking for. Must be an “If / Than” statement.

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 3 = PROCEDURE This will be the step-by-step instructions that you will follow to complete the lab. Each of the steps needs to be detailed. Don’t use words like “and” in the different steps. If you do, split that step into two different steps. Example We filled the cup with soil and then added 50 ml of water What could we put down instead?

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 4 = DIAGRAM Under this heading, include any diagrams that help explain the process followed during the experiment. Diagrams should take up a ½ page at least Heading 5 = VARIABLES In point form list 1) the Manipulated variable and 2) the Responding variable for the experiment Be as descriptive as possible

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 6 = CONTROL FACTORS List all of the other possible control factors that you have accounted for in your procedure so that they stay the same from trial-to-trial. Be as descriptive as possible and use measurements when you can Heading 7 = MATERIALS Under this heading, list all of the materials involved in this experiment. Be as detailed as possible. Also list any materials you used to observe and measure the results during the observation

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 8 = OBSERVATONS Your observations will usually be in table format. The first column of the table will be for the manipulated variable and the second column (and other columns there after) will be for the responding variable(s) Fertilizer added to lawn (kg/m²) Length of grass after two weeks (cm) 1 2 3 Responding variable Manipulated variable UNITS!!! UNITS!!!

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 9 = ANALYSIS As part of the analysis, you will need to do any calculations that are required for the lab at this point (only if they are needed… many will not) Following the calculations, you will need to produce a graph that displays the data You will have to write a short paragraph for each graph. Explain the general trend of the graph using the proper terminology for the test. Talk about the numbers in the graph by explaining what the lowest value was, what the highest value was, what the difference between them is, and if there are other key points in the graph and what their values are (includes spikes and drops)

Parts of a Formal Lab Report Heading 10 = CONCLUSION Your conclusion will be the last part of the lab report. It will always be weighted with the most marks. For you Conclusion, you will do three things… - Restate you hypothesis - State whether you were correct or not - Write a general statement about “what you learned” For some experiments you may be able to do this in only a few sentences, others will require a few paragraphs Conclusions will be worth a lot of marks

Sports or Science!?! If you have any questions please ask, other than that work well and remember… It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye, Then it’s a sport!