2018-2019 Science Fair

Assess how you conducted your experiment.

● Please move this document to your s​ hared Biology folder.

● To complete this, you will need to refer to your project proposal.
● After you answer all the questions, remember to ​submit the document in Canvas​.

Sample size
1. Below, put what you planned for sample size and/or repeated measures (#9 in experimental proposal).
1 best selling rap song
from each year (6 songs
per era, 12 total songs)

I will only analyze each

song one time.

2. Below, put the actual sample size and/or repeated measures you completed by the deadline (February
5).
1 best selling rap song
from each year (6 songs
per era, 12 total songs)

I will only analyze each

song one time.

3. If there are differences between your initial plan and what you completed by the deadline, explain
a) why they are different, and
b) what you could have done differently to reach your goal on time.

Procedure
4. Below, paste a copy of your planned steps from your project proposal (#15).

Step 1:​ Find out the best selling rap song for each year of each era.

Step 2:​ Find lyrics to each song on Genius.

Step 3:​ Analyse every song for one era. Find out bpm, how many samples used, use of specific instruments,
vocal arrangement, if there are explicit lyrics, and number of specific words (slang) said. ​- didn’t do vocal
arrangement, specific instruments, or specific words because many recordings weren’t good enough in
quality which made it impossible to determine the vocal arrangement. Also couldn’t do specific words
 because word use was so varied that it wasn’t relevant. Instruments weren’t done because it was hard to
tell on older records if the instrument was real or digital and most used the same instruments or solely
relied on the sample and drums.

Step 4:​ Analyse the other era the same way you did the first one.

Step 5:​ Insert the findings of each era into its own respective chart.

Step 6:​ Compare your charts. Look for what’s similar and what’s different.

5. Carefully look over your initial plans. In a numbered or bullet-pointed list below,
a) identify in detail things you actually did differently, and
b) explain why you made each change.

Variables
6. In your proposal, find your standardized (#8) and extraneous variables (#10) and list them in the table
below.
Standardized variables Extraneous variables

Didn’t have any Didn’t have any

7. Standardized variable review:

Did you successfully standardize all the variables you planned to?
If not, explain why not.

8. Extraneous variable review:

Were there other factors (that you did not originally list) that you think could have affected your results?
Identify them and explain your answer.

Impact on Results
9. Think about all the ways the implementation of your experiment differed from your initial plans (your
answers to questions above).
Discuss how these changes may make your project stronger and/or make it weaker (i.e. make your
results more reliable or less reliable).
Many things I thought would be easy to determine ended up becoming too complex to fit into black and
white, many falling under a grey since it became irrelevant for many variables due to the complexity of
each era and the limits of technology at the time.

Reflection on learning
In August, y’all shared your thoughts on what the point of school is. Many of your responses involved
building skills. You may recognize some of them in this list below, which has a few of my top priorities for
skills to build in this class.

10. Read over the skills and indicate with a comment where you feel you are with each, at this point in the
year.

I think I have I’m making progress. I’m struggling: I see This is a very weak
very strong I feel pretty good some improvement area for me. I don’t feel
skills in this about it. but it’s really hard. I’ve improved at all.

Design x
experiments

Manage​ time & x

long term work

Work​ ​well x
independently:
with focus,
self-reliance, &
initiative

Own ​your own x

learning: take
responsibility for
your work;
know when you
need help and
ask for it.