Year 9 Science · Unit 3 · Lesson 23
Challenge Worksheet
Learning Goals
Find the flaw, evaluate a student's investigation plan
A student's investigation plan
"I wanted to find out which classroom at my school uses the most electricity. I measured the power of the air conditioner in Room 4 on one Monday in April using the label on the back. I recorded the air conditioner running for 5 hours that day. I then multiplied by 200 school days to estimate annual energy use. I did this for five different classrooms. I found Room 4 uses the most electricity because it has the oldest air conditioner."
Identify each flaw in the student's plan and suggest how they could improve it.
| Flaw identified | Why it is a problem (validity or reliability?) | How to improve |
|---|---|---|
Design a full depth study investigation
Write a complete investigation plan for the following research question: "Which area of your school uses the most electricity per square metre?" Fill in every section below.
Aim and hypothesis: State the aim and write a full if-then-because hypothesis.
Materials and method: List at least 4 materials and write 5 or more numbered steps. Include how you would measure the floor area of each zone and how you would measure electricity use.
Data table template: Design a results table with appropriate headings, units, and space for at least 5 school zones. Include a column for kWh/m² per year.
Graph and limitation: State which graph type you would use to display kWh/m² for each zone, and explain one limitation of your method that could affect the validity of your conclusions.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?