Please read the below, then click the attached worksheet, “How to Design an Experiment”:
What are the IB Moderators looking for?
IB stresses students’ independence in their manner of identifying, organizing, and analyzing broad investigation topics posed by the instructor. IB Moderators will assess student independence and higher level analytical skills in scoring students’ Lab exercises. In this regard, IB labs are very different than those assigned to my AP Chemistry and Chemistry I students.
For example, students will be asked to perform laboratory investigations in the open-ended style mandated by IB Guidelines. In “Design” labs, the IB Program requires students to independently design and create procedures for broadly defined research questions posed by the instructor. IB graders will check to make sure students are independently determining materials, equipment, and procedures they will use to conduct a particular investigation. In other labs, students are required to determine their own method for data collection and processing (teacher input in this area not permitted). Ultimately, because of this style, each lab group will have unique lab reports. Finally, students will also be assessed on their conclusions/evaluations.
All lab activities will be assessed pursuant to the IB rubric.
More information concerning IB Chemistry Labs will be provided to students at the time of the investigations.
