SCHOOL BASED

ASSESSMENT
 REASONS FOR SBA
 Allow students to gain experience in practical laboratory activities within the
learning process. This helps to prepare students for the research and
investigations that are an intricate part of the science community.

 Allow students a chance to maximize their final CXC CSEC grade by allowing
for continuous assessment over the two year period.
 Components of a Laboratory Report
 Lab number

 Date

 Title/topic

 Aim

 Apparatus/materials

 Apparatus diagram

 Method/Procedure

 Observation/Results

 Discussion (of results)

 Limitations/Sources of error/Preautions

 Conclusion
 How to Write the Method
 Method MUST be wriiten in the past tense(that is, in reported form since you
are writing on what you have already carried out) and prose (meaning
ordinary language)
 There should be no personal pronouns or personal references in your method
and entire lab report by extension.
 Method must be logically sequenced and all important steps are to be
included
 Write method in paragraph form

 NB: The method is written in past tense for all labs except planning and
designing labs. No method is included in drawing labs. Also, the method is
written in paragraph form for all labs except planning designing labs for which
it is written step by step.
 Method
Example of method/ lab procedure to be written in the past tense:
 Collect leaves from the plants to be tested.
 Pour some boiling water from a kettle into a large beaker.

 Using forceps, pick up one of the leaves and hold it in the hot water for
about one minute.

 Remove the leaf from the boiling water and note how it has changed.

 Drop the leaf into a boiling tube and push it to the bottom with a glass rod.
Add some anti-bumping granules (optional). Place into a waterbath.
The leaves to be tested were collected from a plant. A forcep was used to hold
one of the leaf in a large beaker filled with boiling water poured from a kettle.
This was done for approximately one minute after which the leaf was removed
from the boiling water and the changes to it were noted/ recorded. The leaf was
then placed into a boiling tube and a glass rod was used to push the leaf to the
bottom of the tube. Anti-bumping granules were placed on the leaf and the tube
was placed into a water-bath.

NB: This is only an example of how to convert the method to past tense. You may
word your method differently; there is no one way to word it. However, the
essence of the method should remain the same.
 Observation/Results
This section of the lab report should include:

 All the changes that were observed during the experiment (initial to final)

 Must be written in past tense

 Most appropriate/suitable format for recording observations (including tables, Graphs or

a written paragraph)

Tables:

 Must be fully closed/bordered completely

 Must have suitable headings with appropriate units

 Must have an appropriate title, written at the top in ALL caps(capital letters) and shouod tell
exactly what the table shows. The next slide shows an inappropriate table (table 1) and a
corrected table (table 2)
 Table 2: TABLE SHOWING
THE EFFECT OF
Table 1: Table Showing TEMPERATURE ON THE
Results of Experiment ACTIVITY OF CATALASE
Temperature Bubble Height Temperature/oC Bubble Height/cm
0 0 0 0
20 0.1 20 0.1
40 1.3 40 1.3
60 0.2 60 0.2
Graphs

 The plots must occupy more than half the graph paper as best as possible

 The axes must be labelled with the correct variables and units.

 The independent (manipulated) variable goes on the X-axis and the

dependent (responding) variable goes on the Y-axis

 Appropriate scaling must be used for each axis

 If more than one graph is on the same sheet, a key must be done to
differentiate between the graphs

 Graphs must have a suitable title. This tells what the graph is showing

The next slide shows an example of a correctly done graph

 Discussion/Analysis
 Background knowledge of the topic or concept done in the experiment
 Full explanation of results/observation recorded. That is, the result of the
experiment or the observations made are explained or accounted for using
scientific knowledge of the concept.
 Calculations if necessary
 Limitations/Sources of
Error/Precautions
 Limitations – these are factors that could or may have had an impact/effect on
the outcome of the experiment but the experimenter has no control over these
e.g the temperature of the day and the humidity can imapact the results of an
experiment but the experimenter cannot control these factors.

 Sources of error – factors that may have affected the outcome of the
experiment because of the experimenter. These factors can be controlled by the
experimenter.

 Precautions – measures taken to reduce sources of error/ experimenter’s error.

 Conclusion
 This is a statement that ‘answers’ the aim with a reason. It is not a literal
answer to the aim since the aim is not a question.

 For example, if the aim of an experiment is “to find out if bread contains
starch by conducting a starch test” then the conclusion of this lab could be
‘based on the results, it can be concluded that bread does contain starch
(‘answer’) because when iodine solution was added to the bread, a bluish-
black colour was observed (reason).
 Skills That are Assessed in SBA
 Observation Recording and Reporting – ORR

 Manipulative and Measurement – MM

 Drawing – D

 Analysis and Interpretation - AI

 Plan and Design - PD

 MM- Measurement and Manipulation
Manipulation in this case as to do with how one handles and controls scientific
equipment. This skill is concerned with:

 Operations in the lab

 Safety and precautions in the lab

 Knowledge of use of equipment and materials in the lab

 Accurate and precise measurements

 Drawing
 Scientific drawings must be large (at least half the blank paper) with clean, even lines

 Drawing must be proportional

 Only necessary structures should be drawn

 Label lines must be parallel lines drawn with a ruler and stop at the same distance.
Label lines should not cross over each other

 No arrow heads should be on label lines

 Labels must be written at the end of label lines in script and one letter case (either
all common letters or all capital letters)

 Label line must touch the structure being labelled

 Labels should be annotated, that is, labels must be accompanied by SHORT
notes. This could be a brief description of the structure or a function of the
structure.
 Title must be written in all caps at the bottom of the drawing and underlined

 Title must state exactly what is shown in the drawing

 Magnification must be calculated and written beside the title. If the drawing is
made from a microscope, then the total magnification is written beside the
title.

 Magnification = length of drawing

length of specimen

NB: Magnification has no unit, it simply tells how much bigger your drawing is than
the actual specimen.
AI- Analysis and Interpretation of results
AI is concerned with how you analysis and interpret the results of the
experiment. It includes:

 RELEVANT background knowledge of the topic or concept being investigated

 Full explanations of results. That is,give an account for the results obtained.
Explain any discrepancies in the results.

 Ways that experiment could improve

 Limitations/sources of error/precautions

 Conclusion
 PD- Planning and designing an experiment
 Problem statement
 Hypothesis
 Aim
 Apparatus/materials
 Method
 All steps in present tense
 Controls must be evident
 Ensure to repeat experiment for accuracy
 Expected results
 State what is expected to be observed
 If tables should be used, draw the tables to show the kind of data to be retrieved
 Analysis/interpretation of expected results
 Variables:
 Control – all the things that are constant in the experiment
 Manipulating – the items that are being changed to produce a result
 Responding – the result(s) that is(are) expected to be seen.
 limitations, sources of errors
SAMPLE PLANNING AND DESIGN LAB

Conditions Necessary for Rusting

 Aim: To determine if both water and oxygen are necessary for rusting.

 Hypothesis: Both water and oxygen is necessary for rusting to occur.

 Apparatus: 4 boiling tubes, 8 3” nails (untarnished), Distilled water, Oil, Bunsen

burner, Tripod Gauze, 250mL beaker, 10cm3 measuring cylinder, 4 rubber bungs,
Cotton wool, Anhydrous calcium chloride (CaCl2)

 Method: Set up four tubes as shown below:

Tube A Tube B Tube C Tube D

Rubber
Bung
Boiling Oil
Tube
Iron Nail
Boiled Water

CaCl 2(s) Cotton Wool

 Leave the tubes for a period of 24-48 hours.
 Record you observations.
 Repeat the experiment to verify your results.
Title: TABLE TO BE USED TO COLLECT RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENT

Tube Conditions Present Observation

A Control

B Air and Water

C Air only

D Water only
 Expected Results: The tube(s) that show the greatest signs of rusting has the
conditions necessary for rusting to take place.

 Controlled Variables: Number and Size of nails, Boiling Tubes, Rubber Bung

 Manipulated Variables: Water, Oxygen (presence or absence)

 Responding Variable(s): Formation of Rust

 Interpretation of expected results: If tube B shows the greatest signs of

rusting, and tube C and D shows little to no rusting, then both water and
oxygen is needed for rusting to take place.
 A precaution that should be taken in this experiment is to ensure that the
nails are rust-free before use.

 One possible source of error could have occurred in tube D. During cooling,
oxygen may have re-dissolved in the water. This means that the tube may not
have contained only water.

 One limitation in this experiment is that air contains a very small percentage
of water vapour.
 Control Experiment

 This is an experiment that has one or more variables missing from it.
 It is different from the control variable.
For Example
 Suppose I decide to grow bean sprouts in my kitchen, near the window. I put
bean seeds in a pot with soil, set them on the windowsill, and wait for them to
sprout. However, after several weeks, I have no sprouts. Why not? Well...it turns
out I forgot to water the seeds. So, I hypothesize that they didn't sprout due to
lack of water.

 To test my hypothesis, I do a controlled experiment. In this experiment, I set up

two identical pots. Both contain ten bean seeds planted in the same type of soil,
and both are placed in the same window. In fact, there is only one thing that I do
differently to the two pots:
 One pot of seeds gets watered every afternoon.
 The other pot of seeds doesn't get any water at all.
 There are two groups in the experiment, and they are identical except that
one receives a treatment (water) while the other does not. The group that
receives the treatment in an experiment (here, the watered pot) is called the
experimental group, while the group that does not receive the treatment
(here, the dry pot) is called the control group. The control group provides a
baseline that lets us see if the treatment has an effect. That is, it allows us to
see if water is truly necessary for bean seeds to sprout.