Name: _________________________________ Class Period: _________ Due Date: ______
Aquifer Inquiry Lab –
Science Lab Report Introduction and Overview
Introduction:
A watershed is an area where precipitation collects on Earth’s surface. Aquifers are areas below
Earth’s surface that store groundwater. Aquifers are recharged by precipitation that falls in a
watershed and then soaks down through soil, sediment, and tiny spaces in rock. When people
build over aquifer recharge zones, consideration should be taken about what they use to cover
the surface. Pavement, cement, and other materials are impermeable: water cannot soak
through them.
Water will run over impermeable surfaces until it enters a drain, a body of water, or some other
area of ground that will soak it up. If the water runs off far from the recharge zone, it may
never end up recharging the aquifer. When water runs over impermeable surfaces, it also picks
up pollutants that can end up in surface water and groundwater in a watershed.
In this lab, you will brainstorm with your group about ways to construct two identical models of
an aquifer. After receiving approval from your teacher, you will build the models. Then, you will
stimulate development in one of the aquifers to model the effects of human development on
the groundwater and surface water in a watershed.
You will make prediction about the models in hypothesis form, and then test your hypothesis
by adding colored water to each model and observing the results. You will document your
observations with photos of the models in action, and apply your observations to the real world
by answering questions about the impact of development on aquifers.
Overview of Lab Steps:
1. Read over the list of possible materials and brainstorm an aquifer model and sketch it
on a piece of copy paper. Get teacher approval for model.
2. Construct 2 models.
3. Add impermeable cover (models human development) to one model.
4. Add precipitation to each model, observing and collecting qualitative data. Take pictures
of these steps with a group member’s phone.
5. Analyze data
6. Write conclusion
Name: _________________________________ Class Period: _________ Due Date: __________
Aquifer Inquiry Lab - Science Lab Report
Instructions: This assignment is a formal lab report, which is a test grade. Follow the format below and
fill in this template. You will be documenting your observations with photos. Be sure to print and attach
these to your final report as well.
You are expected to fill in this template as neatly as possible. You will need to hand-write or type your
conclusion and staple it to this report. The lab work is group derived, the conclusion is INDEPENDENT
work.
Title: A concise, yet descriptive title that explains the purpose of the exploration.
Title: ________________________________________________________________________________
How do I scientifically inquire?
The first part of any inquiry will be deciding on what question you will try to answer, and then how you
will answer the question.
Defining the Problem or Question: What question(s) are you trying to answer? Write one to two
sentences explaining why we are doing this lab- what we were trying to find out, what question we were
trying to answer, or what problem we were trying to solve.
Question: ____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Materials: Highlight or carefully circle the materials that your group uses. You may end up not using all
of the available materials. If you choose to bring some items from home, make sure to add them to your
final list.













Aquariums/glass containers
Index cards
Cloth, cotton
Various plastic containers (some will have holes to simulate rain water)
Food coloring
Gravel
rock, granite and limestone samples
sand
soil
water
plastic wrap
gloves, apron, safety goggles
List additional items:
Procedure: The procedure for this lab has been given to you. Make sure to follow it carefully.
Step 1: Build a model
Begin planning your investigation by observing your materials. You will build two identical aquifer
models. Look at the available materials and decide things such as what materials to make the aquifer
layers from, and the order of the layers. You need 3 different materials to make the layers. Decide what
material you will use for an impervious cover in the model. Once these are decided, sketch the final
design below and indicate which layer is made of which material. Get approval from the teacher, once
the sketch is complete.
Our impervious cover will be made from:
Step 2: Construct the model
Start by gathering the materials and construct the bottom layer of your aquifer. Then the next layer and
then the third layer on top of the other two. Take a picture from the top view (aerial view) and a side
view of your aquifer model.
Step 3: Identify variables and make predictions in the form of hypotheses.
Scenario that we are modeling: Development is about to occur on top of one of the aquifers. People are
planning to build a large housing subdivision and shopping center. Much of the top layer of one aquifer
will be covered with this development. You are comparing what happens to the water when an aquifer
is left undisturbed, and when it has been developed.
Variables: The independent variable is the one you purposely change and the dependent variable is
what changes and is measured. A control is used to determine if the independent variable is actually
affecting the dependent variable.
Variables:
Control:
Independent:
Dependent:
Hypothesis: Write a possible solution for the problem, this is your prediction. This is written as a
complete sentence. Make sure the statement is testable. A typical hypothesis is an “If ….then”
statement. The statement should reference the independent and dependent variables.
Predict what will happen to the aquifer that is developed, making sure to include what will happen
when there is a rainstorm.
Hypothesis:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: Test the hypothesis
1. Model the effect of human activity on the groundwater and in the aquifer. Designate one of the
aquifer models as the “development aquifer” – label it on the actual aquifer with an index card.
2. Cover half of the development aquifer with your chosen impervious cover. Make sure that the
cover goes to the corners and edges of the model.
3. Fill your container with water
4. Put on gloves
5. Have your phone ready for taking pictures
6. Add 2-3 drops of food coloring and mix it with the water
7. Create a “rainstorm” by using a plastic cup with punched holes to sprinkle the colored water
into an aquifer.
8. Repeat these steps for the second aquifer.
Observations - Written observations. (Qualitative data) – Answer the following questions:
1. What happened in each aquifer during the rainstorm? Write a short answer to describe the
results.
2. Was your hypothesis proven or not? Briefly Describe a plan for revising your investigation based
on your observations of how the models performed.
3. In what ways did the materials of your aquifer effect the way the rain entered the aquifer?
Conclusion - Writing it!
A conclusion section contains a description of the purpose of the experiment, a discussion of your major
findings, an explanation of your findings, and improvements to the experiment. It should be a few
paragraphs in length. Do not number the sentences, but include the answers to the below questions:
1. Restate the overall purpose of the experiment (include Independent Variable and Dependent Variable).
2. What happened in each model? (Question 1 helped you form your thoughts for this paragraph)
3. Was the hypothesis supported by the data? How do you know? Use data collected to explain your
claims of whether or not the hypothesis was supported.
4. Don’t give the procedure again, but do point out possible sources of error that may have occurred.
Point out any differences in the model versus a real-world aquifer.
You may write the rough draft for your conclusion below. The rough draft WILL NOT be graded, make
sure to turn in a neatly hand-written or typed final conclusion attached to the lab packet.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lab Report Rubric (MYP YR 2)
IB Score: ________ Grade: _______
Criterion B: Inquiring & Designing
i. describe a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation
ii. outline a testable hypothesis and explain it using scientific reasoning
iii. describe how to manipulate the variables, and describe how data will be collected
iv. design scientific investigations
Level
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
Descriptor – The student is able to:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
state a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation, with limited success
state a testable hypothesis
state the variables
design a method, with limited success
state a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation
outline a testable hypothesis using scientific reasoning
outline how to manipulate the variables, and state how relevant data will be collected
design a safe method in which he or she selects materials and equipment
state a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation
outline and explain a testable hypothesis using scientific reasoning
outline how to manipulate the variables, and outline how sufficient, relevant data will be collected
design a complete and safe method in which he or she selects appropriate materials and equipment
outline a problem or question to be tested by a scientific investigation
outline and explain a testable hypothesis using correct scientific reasoning
describe how to manipulate the variables, and describe how sufficient, relevant data will be collected
design a logical, complete and safe method in which he or she selects appropriate materials and equipment.
Criterion C: Processing & Evaluating
i. present collected and transformed data
ii. interpret data and describe results using scientific reasoning
iii. discuss the validity of a hypothesis based on the outcome of the scientific investigation
iv. discuss the validity of the method
v. describe improvements or extensions to the method
Level
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
Descriptor - The student is able to:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
collect and present data in numerical and/or visual forms
accurately interpret data
state the validity of a hypothesis with limited reference to a scientific investigation
state the validity of the method with limited reference to a scientific investigation
state limited improvements to the method
correctly collect and present data in numerical and/or visual forms
accurately interpret data and describe results
state the validity of a hypothesis based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
state the validity of the method based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
state improvements to the method that would benefit the scientific investigation
correctly collect, organize and present data in numerical and/or visual forms
accurately interpret data and describe results using scientific reasoning
outline the validity of a hypothesis based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
outline the validity of the method based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
outline improvements to the method that would benefit the scientific investigation
correctly collect, organize, transform and present data in numerical and/or visual forms
accurately interpret data and describe results using correct scientific reasoning
discuss the validity of a hypothesis based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
discuss the validity of the method based on the outcome of a scientific investigation
describe improvements to the method that would benefit the scientific investigation.