A Project in Similarity

[data log] [ grow/shrink spreadsheet ] [final report] [evaluation sheet] [spreadsheet tutorial]

This project will give you a great opportunity to grow your own creature and gain information about similarity and rates of change.  It will require you to collect FOUR days of data about your creature.   You will be growing it and then shrinking it back.  You will be using a spreadsheet (EXCEL) and a word processor (WORD 97) to generate your final report which will include charts and graphs of your data.

Grow your creature for a minimum of 48 hours.  If it fails to grow within the four hours past the mimimum 48 hours, you may take it out of the water and begin the shrinking process.  If your creature continues to grow without any indication of slowing down, take it out of the water at noon on day 3 (55 hours old).  Note on your log when the creature is removed from the water for good.

 You may collect your data on Wed. (before and after school), Thursday (during school), Friday (during school), and Saturday.  OR you may collect your data on Thursday (before and after school), Friday (during school), Saturday, and Sunday.  Data must be collected on the log sheets that have been provided and should take place NO CLOSER THAN ONE HOUR apart – preferably every one to two hours. 

Throughout the data collection period, you are to make a minimum of 7 tracings of your creature. You should trace it before you begin, one time while it is growing, when you take out of the water and start shrinking it, once while it is shrinking and once again when you stop taking measurements.  When you take it out of the water to shrink it, dry it off, and trace it and label it with the day and time, the age of the creature, its length, its width, and it’s thickness. Then attach these drawings to your final report.

For 15 points (out of 25) on the data collection part of this project, you must have at least 8 data measurements per day on each of days 1, 2, 3, and 4 - each must be taken no closer than 1 hour apart.

For 20 points on the data collection part of this project, you must have at least 10 data measurements per day on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 – each must be taken no closer than 1 hour apart.

For 25 points on the data collection part of the project, you must have at least 12 data measurements per day on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 – each must be taken no closer than 1 hour apart.

On Monday, we’ll go to the computer lab to learn how to put your data on a spreadsheet and make some graphs and cut and paste them into your report.  Your report should follow the form on your report and evaluation sheet.

[data log] [final report] [evaluation sheet]

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