Investigating in science resources

Students outline four ways of improving a given plan for an investigation to make it a fair test.

Task: Plan a fair test to see if adding salt water to water affects how long it takes to freeze. Assessment focus: managing variables.

Task: Describe what happens to ice in a glass of water, giving reasons, and explain where water forming on the outside of the glass comes from. Assessment focus: changes of state.

This practical task has two parts. The first part of this practical requires students to observe the effects of different indicators on different substances. Students use these results to identify if some other substances are acid, alkali, or neutral.

Task: Measure 100mL of water into three different pieces of equipment. Weigh the result and calculate the precision of using that piece of equipment. Assessment focus: measuring and evaluating the accuracy of equipment.

This practical task requires students to carry out three tests to find out if each element is a metal or non-metal.

Students outline a test they could do to show if a substance is a metal or not.

Students are given an outline of a fair test. They are asked to identify the aim, variables to be controlled, how to judge the results, and an aspect of replication.

Students are given an experimental setup of heating water with a burning peanut and are asked how they could change this in three ways to get a greater temperature increase. Students are also asked to give two important experimental conditions that should remain the same if the experiment was repeated.

For this practical task students investigate water (and dye) movement in a plant when the stem of a daisy is cut lengthwise into three sections. Students record their observations and then explain their results in a scientific way. Key words have been provided.

Task: Students use an image of an Australian lizard to explain what purpose is served by the lizard's tail looking like its head. Assessment focus: features for survival.

This practical task is about heat absorption. From a given list students choose the equipment they would use to heat cold tap water as much as possible. Students complete the investigation, explain why each piece of equipment was selected, and record their results.

Task: Answer questions about data in a table. Assessment focus: pulleys.

Task: Answer questions about the relationship between mass and stretch. Assessment focus: graph interpretation.

Task: Answer questions about relationships between mass and stretch. Assessment focus: identifying patterns in data.

Students are given an outline of an investigation on metal corrosion and a graph of some results. Students' ability to interpret the graph and knowledge of fair testing is assessed via short answer questions.

The liquid range for four common substances has been provided. Students use this to answer questions about melting point, boiling point, and state.

Students read a passage about a genetic characteristic found in a family. They use this information to complete a representation of an inheritance diagram by shading in and naming the persons of this family. Lastly a question about dominance and recessiveness is asked.

Decide if a described investigation is a fair test, and explain the decision. Assessment focus: identifying fair testing.

Students are given an outline of an investigation on heat loss from two different shaped objects (a cube and a sphere). They answer questions on variable control, repeat trialling, and they then graph data from this investigation.

Students answer two multiple choice questions about fair testing in the context of static electricity.

Students use the Modified Mercalli intensity scale to assign magnitudes to three described earthquakes. Then they interpret data about the distance from an epicentre, and explain why, from given information, one earthquake might be more damaging than another.

Students use a table on solubility/insolubility of 16 compounds to determine the validity of four statements and justify with evidence from the table.

Information on particle size and boiling point is provided for three alcohols. Students use this to place these substances in order of particle size and increasing boiling point.

Students label six diagrams as an element, compound, or mixture.