TERM 1 EXEMPLAR PRACTICAL TASK
GRADE 7
SUBJECT: NATURAL SCIENCES
FORMAL ASSESSMENT TASK
2024
TOTAL MARKS: 40
DURATION: 3 WEEKS :
Name: ________________________________________________________
Class: __________________________ Date: ________________________
School: _____________________ Teacher: _________________________
1
INVESTIGATION: What are the requirements to sustain life in
plants?
In this investigation, we are going to germinate bean seeds (or any
other seeds that your teacher provides you with). Each group in the
class is going to be testing a different requirement for germination and
growth of the seedling.
1. AIM: (2 marks)
A scientific investigation always has an aim or question that needs to be
answered. What is the aim of this investigation? Write down what you aim to find
out.
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2. HYPOTHESIS: (2 marks)
A hypothesis is where you propose (suggest) what the outcome of the
investigation will be. It is a prediction of what the results will be. Write a
hypothesis for this investigation.
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3. VARIABLES:
Scientists often use investigations to search for cause and effect relationships.
This means that they design experiments to investigate how changes to one part
will cause an effect on another. These changing quantities are called variables.
There are usually three kinds of variables:
1. Independent variables: This is the thing that you are changing in the
investigation. You are in control of the independent variable. For example, if you
wanted to investigate if eating a lot of sugar makes you gain weight, then the
amount of sugar you eat is the independent variable. You control how much
sugar you eat. We want to achieve something called a FAIR TEST which means
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that only ONE independent variable is changed at one time. Once the
independent variable has been changed the scientist then observes what the
effect will be. In the example of investigating if sugar makes you gain weight,
you cannot at the same time investigate whether exercise makes you lose
weight. This would not be a fair test.
2. Dependent variables: The dependent variable is the thing that you observe
in an investigation. You do not change it. The dependent variable will change
depending on the independent variable. For example, in the investigation to see
if eating a lot of sugar makes you gain weight, then the dependent variable will
be how many kilograms you gain (or lose) as a result of eating sugar. How much
weight you gain depends on how much sugar you ate. Dependent variables
should be measured in an objective way using numbers as far as possible.
3. Controlled variables: These are the quantities that a scientist wants to
remain the same or unchanged throughout the experiment. The controlled
variable needs to be carefully monitored to make sure that it stays the same. In
the example to see if sugar makes you gain weight, you could have one person
eat a lot of sugar and the other person eat no sugar and then see the changes in
weight. There are some things that need to stay the same for both of these
people so that it is a fair test. For example, both people must do the same
amount of exercise so that this does not influence their weight. This is a
controlled variable.
You can also do a control test. For example, in this investigation about the
growth of plants, you will be taking away one of the requirements for growth.
You need to do a control test where another plant is given all the requirements,
including the one you took away in the other plant. You can then compare your
plant where you took one requirement away to the control plant which has that
requirement to see if there is a difference.
Identify the variables for this investigation.
1. Independent variable. What will you change? (1)
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2. Dependent variable. What will you measure to see the effect of the
independent variable on the germination and growth of the plant?
(1)
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3. Controlled variables and control group. What will your control test be and
what will you keep the same between the control plant and the tested
plant? (2)
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4. METHOD: (6 marks)
In your group, plan how you are going to do the investigation. Think about which
requirement you are testing and how you will take this requirement away. For
example, if you are looking at light, where could you place the seeds so that they
do not receive light? Remember, if you are looking at light, then you need to
make sure the control and test seeds both receive the same amount of water.
Once you have planned the investigation on rough paper and discussed it with
your teacher, write up the method below (in at least SIX numbered steps)
explaining what you will do.
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5. MATERIALS AND APPARATUS: (4
marks)
Write a list of all the materials and apparatus that you will be using in this
investigation.
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6. RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS: (12
marks)
Record the results for your investigation. If you are seeing whether plants
germinate or not, then you need to draw a table to show this. If you are
measuring how much the plants grow, then you will also need a table for this.
You can use the following table to record your results.
PLANT DATE OF WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3
And PLANTING
Condition
No of Length of No of Length of No of Length of
leaves seedlings leaves seedlings leaves seedlings
A
7. ANALYSIS: ( 6 marks)
Once we have collected our results in a scientific investigation, we need to
analyse them. This often involves drawing a graph. If you measured the growth
of the seedlings over time, then you can draw a line graph to show this. If you
have counted the number of seeds that germinated you can express this using a
bar chart (provided you used the same number of seeds in each group), or you
can express the percentage of seeds that germinated as a pie chart. Your
teacher will help you do this.
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8. CONCLUSION:
After collecting all your results and drawing a graph using these results, you will
need to use this to draw a conclusion about the requirements to sustain life in
plants. The following questions will guide you in drawing your conclusion.
1. I found out that (1)
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2. I know this because (1)
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3. The investigation was fair because (1)
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4. If I did this investigation again I could improve it by (1)
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TOTAL 40 MARKS
