EXTENDED PRACTICAL

INVESTIGATION 2021

Year 8

EPI 1:
Group Data Collection
Collaborative Report
 WHAT IS THE EPI?

It’s designing and doing an experiment to collect data

which is then written up as a Scientific report
following a given structure?

•Title
•Background Info
•Aim
•Hypothesis
•Variables
•Safety
•Method
•Results
•Analysis
•Evaluation
•Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION:
• You will not be assessed for this task (Weighting: 0%)
• It is a review of the Scientific method which is usually
tested in every test taken in Science.
• It will allow you to develop your scientific inquiry skills

• Modeling and feedback will be provided during this task so

you can improve your skills

The assessed EPI will take place in Term 3.

EPI Weighting: 25% of total year mark.
 ORGANISATION:
Make an EPI folder to organise your work

Down load electronic copies of:

• 2020 EPI Laboratory Report Scaffold
• 2020 EPI Marking Rubric
• 2020 How to write up an Extended Practical Investigation
 HOW ARE THE EPI’S MARKED IN YR. 8?
Practice marking the EPI sample(s) provided using the EPI
Assessment Criteria.

•Work with a partner to assess the student work against the criteria
 WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER BY MARKING
THE REPORT(S)?

Brainstorm:

What do you need to do

to improve your EPI’s
this year?
 MORE INFORMATION

• Like last years’ practice EPI the ‘Pendulum experiment’ the whole
class will be provided with the same inquiry question and will conduct
the same experiment to collect data
• You are encouraged to collaborate with your group to discuss the task
and learn how to best address the requirements and depth of writing
required by the Scientific report.
 LET’S BEGIN:

What do you
see?
 YOUR INQUIRY QUESTION:

Aim: to investigate how the angle (º) of a marbles

release from a slingshot will affect the distance (cm) it
will travel.
 BRAINSTORM:
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO TEST THE AIM IN A
PRACTICAL AND ACHIEVABLE EXPERIMENT

What will be the:

Independent Variable:
Dependent Variable:
Controlled Variable(s):

Aim: to investigate how the angle (º) of a marble’s release from a

slingshot will affect the distance (cm) it travels.
YOUR APPARATUS REVEALED!

• A plank with two nails

• A rubber band
• Marble
• Graph paper/ ruler
• Measuring tape
• Protractor
• Pile of books
 2020 LABORATORY REPORT
SCAFFOLD

**A FULL example of how to write up this report is available on

connect and will be modelled in class
 KEEP TALKING:
You are encouraged to collaborate within your group to discuss
the task and learn how to best address the requirements and
depth of writing required by the Scientific report.

You will work in your group to collect data and as a class to

complete the EPI Report Scaffold.

• You must keep your individual copy of the Report scaffold

• Your work will be submitted to your teacher at the end of
Week 4 who will be checking it for completion
 WRITING THE AIM:

Use the 2020 Laboratory Report Scaffold to plan and write up your experiment.

Aim:
Clearly and concisely state what is the purpose of the experiment?
Underline the independent and the dependent variable.

To investigate the effect of ______________ (units) on the

____________________ by measuring __________________
(units).
 BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 This part should be a few paragraphs long:

Read the example provided:

•Paragraph 1: Research and write notes on the theory/

science about what you are experimenting on

•Paragraph 2: What do similar past experiments say will

happen and why? (Reference in text)

•Paragraph 3: Find information about this experiment

using the internet/ textbooks, show that you understand
what your experiment is testing. (Reference in text)
 PLANNING YOUR EXPERIMENT
Focus on:
Independent variable
• How are you going to change this?

Dependent variable
• How are you going to measure this?
How can you get a “reading” that is not subjective and is realistic
• How many trials of each type are you going to do to get more reliable results?
Can you do them at the same time?

Control variables
• What are they? How are you going to keep them the same each time?
 CONTROLLED VARIABLES:
Variable controlled (units)
The size and mass of the marble
The distance the elastic will be
pulled back before the marble is
released.
The same elastic used for the
experiment.
The distance the nails of the sling
shot are apart
Measuring the landing point of the
marble …..
Why it needs to be controlled
This needs to be controlled
because …......
This needs to be controlled
because….
This needs to be controlled…..
This needs to be controlled…..
This needs to be controlled
because
How it will be controlled and the value it
is controlled at
This will be controlled by…....
This will be controlled by …...
This will be controlled by ….....
This will be controlled by …...
This will be controlled by…..
 MATERIALS:

1x Slingshot
1x plank with two nails
1x rubber band
1x Small Marble
1x Graph paper/ ruler
1x Measuring tape
1x Protractor
5 x Pile of books
 APPARATUS FULLY LABELLED, USUALLY 2-D, OR
PHOTO, WITH A TITLE

Diagram: How the angle of a marbles release affects the distance the
marble travels

Elastic band

Graph paper

Books
Sling shot
 METHOD: NUMBERED STEPS,
STARTING WITH A VERB

1. Set up equipment as shown in the diagram

2. Pull out a tape measure from the edge of the slingshot board to the predicted landing
distance
3. Attach an elastic band to the nails
4. Hold a protractor underneath the slingshot
5. Aline the slingshot board to the first angle tested (10 ˚) measured using the protractor
6. Fix the board at this angle using the books provided
7. Pull back the elastic band to the 10cm mark ensuring it is pulled back parallel to the
board
8. Place the marble between the drawn elastic bands
9. Release the marble along with the elastic bands and carefully mark the spot where the
marble first lands
10. Record results
11. Repeat steps 4 to 9 two more times to ensure that you have three trials and so that your
test is fair
12. Repeat steps 3 to 9 with the range of the independent variable (20˚, 30˚, 40 ˚ 50˚)
 RISKS

Hazards/Risks Precautions
   
The slingshot is secure and Ensure that all people stay clear of the slingshot in order to prevent injury.
aimed so it does not hit
someone and cause an
injury.
The marble may detach mid To minimise damage of property, keep all valuable items that are
throw and hit valuable breakable away from the slingshot just in case the elastic comes undone
property such as a laptop or and wear safety specs to prevent injury to the eye
injure someones eye.
 

Using excess marbles and Only use the consumables that are needed for the experiment to minimise
elastic band and that will wastage and environmental hazards and pollution.
then be disposed of at the
end of the experiment could
cause pollution and an
environmental hazard.

Wasting and using string Only use the consumables that are needed for the experiment to minimise
and consumables is an wastage and ethical issues caused.
ethical issue as there are
many impoverished people
who may need these
resources.
 DATA TABLES

Before you start experimenting make sure your data tables are ready.
Qualitative data: what you see
Table 1: Observations on how the angle (º) of marbles release affects the distance it
travels (cm)
Increasing Observations
lengths of string
on a pendulum
(cm)
10 Independent
Variable (units)
When released, the ..
Dependent variable (units)
Trial 1
Table 1: Add title including the independent and dependent variables
Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean/ average
On all trials the slingshot threw the marble in a straight line
         
   (it didn’t hit   anything)    
 
 
 
 
All three trials
 
 
were fair (meaning….)
 
 
 
 
and not much changed
   from between   the trials    

15  
20  
25  
 

 
 DATA TABLES

Quantitative data: numbers

Table 2: How the angle (º) of marbles release affects the distance it travels (cm).

The angle of The distance the marble travelled (cm)

the marbles
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean/
release (˚)
average

5 0.87 0.88 0.85 0.87 All

rounded
10 1.04 0.97 1.07 1.03 to same
number
15 1.08 1.09 1.07 1.08 of
decimal
20 1.26 1.52 1.19 1.32 places

30 1.39 1.44 1.62 1.48

CALCULATING
AVERAGES
 GRAPHING

Your Teacher will show you how to graph your data using excel, LoggerPro or by drawing it by
hand. Follow the rules:
Title: How the angle (˚) of a marbles release affects the distance it travels

Line of best fit

ave distance (cm)
y- axis

Angle of Slingshot (˚)

 ANALYSIS *FILL IN THE GAPS

• The line of best fit on the graph shows a (positive correlation/

negative correlation) indicating that as ………(x- axis/ independent
variable units)…………. increases/ decreases the …………. (y-
axis/ dependent variable with units ) ……………………….
(increases / decreases).

• The highest/ longest values of ……(y-axis)…. is/are produced at/

when …………. (state x-axis/ units).
• The lowest/ slowest values of … (y-axis) ... are produced at…state
x-axis/ units ….... This indicates there is a significant/ insignificant
difference in readings taken between …(the start x-axis value)….
and …the finish (y-axis value)…… the range of our independent
variable.
• The readings are supported/ not supported by the qualitative data. It
was seen that …………………. (use your observations to support
your data).
 EVALUATION *SEE EXEMPLAR
Discuss Measurement Errors:

Human errors in measuring and recording the data:

What were the limitations of the techniques used to take the measurements?

Suggested changes to
make improvements
Limitation/Weakness Effect on results
to reduce the impact
of errors

Discuss Instrumental errors:

Instrumental errors in recording the data: What were the limitations of the
apparatus used when taking the measurements?

Suggested changes to make improvements to

Effect on results
reduce the impact of errors
 RELIABILITY *SEE EXEMPLAR

Discuss Reliability:

For the data to be reliable, the variation within the values must
be small. There is always some variation in any set of
measurements, whatever is being measured. 

Suggested improvements:

e.g. Do 5 trials for the range of the independent variable.

 RANGE OF THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE *SEE EXEMPLAR

Chosen values of the independent variable: Was the range of the

independent variable appropriate?

Look at the line/ curve of best fit on your graph. State the values where
Did the chosen values of the independent variable show a trend? additional readings
Were more readings needed either between values of the could be taken.
independent variable chosen or on either side of the values Explain why you think
chosen to confirm this trend? this?
 VALIDITY *SEE EXEMPLAR

Validity: Was the design of the investigation effective (valid)?

Were the controlled variables controlled If it was not a fair What should be
effectively to ensure all reading were done test/ valid what changed in order to
under the same conditions and in the same effect did it have make it a fair test/
way? on the data valid experiment.
collected?
 

Were there any other variables discovered State what they are and how they would
that should have been controlled to make it improve the experimental design.
a fair test?
 CONCLUSION *SEE EXEMPLAR

This is where you summarise what you have found out. It should be short and
must relate directly to the aim.
You need to restate your The hypothesis was that as …..
hypothesis
State whether your The data collected supported / rejects the
hypothesis is supported or hypothesis
rejected
Summarise your findings The data from this experiment shows that
……
Compare your results with These results are supported/ rejected by the
literature values (from your background information which said that
research or background …………… (Dr Who, 2017)
information) and comment on
the accuracy of your results.
 

Summarise in a short This experiment was well designed and the

statement the effectiveness of controlled variables were well controlled in
 MEETING THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Time to Brainstorm again:

•What are the Criteria? Check you have met them.

•Get someone to check your work against the rubric
one more time
•Do you have a Bibliography- Harvard Style
YEAR 8 EPI ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA 2021
 FOR EXTRA HELP
FORMAL LABORATORY REPORT
STYLE GUIDE