Project question
Safety gate · before any work
- All biological materials must be handled at BSL-1 or as directed by the teacher for the specific organism.
- Wear gloves, goggles, and lab coat whenever handling biological samples or chemical reagents.
- Decontaminate all biological waste with 10 percent bleach before disposal; nothing biological goes in regular trash.
Do now
Define a testable claim and methods for your independent capstone project.
- Hand in
- Independent project definition: researchable question, testable claim, methods outline with identified variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Can you rewrite your capstone idea into one claim that names what you expect to find, the variable you will change, the variable you will measure, and the control that keeps the comparison fair?
Define a testable claim and methods for your independent capstone project.
- • You wrote a testable claim with matching methods.
- • You named your variables and one limitation.
- Write your project idea as one sentence, then underline the part that says what you expect to find.
- What is the difference between the variable you change and the variable you measure in your project?
- 1State a clear, for your project.
- 2Write the claim you expect your project to support.
- 3Outline the methods you will use to gather evidence.
- 4Identify your key variables and how you will measure them.
- 5Note one limitation of your proposed approach.
What did this day actually feel like?
Project question
Defining the final project question, which after seventeen weeks I can now do in one period instead of three.
IN CLASS, FRI MAY 14 Portfolio audit Everything against the rubric. Mine was mostly complete and the gaps were labels and dates, not missing work, which is its own lesson about doing it properly at the time.
IN CLASS, FRI MAY 14 Final portfolio submit Submitted. Seventeen weeks, four design problems, one portfolio.
In January I wrote three problems that were secretly solutions. Today I defended a design with a decision matrix, a validation plan, and an honest list of what I still cannot prove.
Turned in: final portfolio → recorded in Class Records
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Defining the final project question, which after seventeen weeks I can now do in one period instead of three.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: A well-formed claim and methods plan are the foundation of independent inquiry because naming your variables, control, and units in advance is what makes a result provable rather than a matter of opinion.
- 0-5 minWarm-up: share your draft project question from the prelab
- 5-20 minRefine your with teacher and peer input
- 20-40 minWrite your claim and outline your methods with variables and measurement units
- 40-55 minIdentify your , , and control
- 55-70 minName one limitation and how it affects what your results can claim
- 70-80 minExit ticket: state your question, claim, and the one control you will include
- • Your capstone project starts here: a question you can actually investigate, and a plan to investigate it.
- • We'll use the same scientific method standard applied in every BI unit: claim, evidence, methods, limitation.
- • A good question is specific enough that you could answer it with the resources available in this class.
- • By the end of today, your project is defined and documented.
- • A testable claim specifies what you expect to find and in what direction.
- • Methods must include the , , control, and measurement units.
- • Naming a limitation upfront shows scientific honesty and improves the overall design.
Forensic chain-of-custody basics, independent project claim, final portfolio audit; this is the last content week before WebXam review. · Project question
Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Problem 8 in your myPLTW course shell and navigate to the current independent project activity, then define a testable claim and methods for your capstone project.
Add your project question, claim, and methods outline to the Problem 8 portfolio.
The chain-of-custody table is done; project definition is the foundational Problem 8 milestone, so confirm your timing.
Project question and methods outline submitted as evidence.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Forensic chain-of-custody basics, independent project claim, final portfolio audit; this is the last content week before WebXam review. · Project question
Open Problem 8 in your myPLTW course shell and navigate to the current independent project activity, then define a testable claim and methods for your capstone project.
The chain-of-custody table is done; project definition is the foundational Problem 8 milestone, so confirm your timing.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Define a testable claim and methods for your independent capstone project.
- State a clear, for your project.
- Write the claim you expect your project to support.
- Outline the methods you will use to gather evidence.
- Identify your key variables and how you will measure them.
- Note one limitation of your proposed approach.
Pre-lab: Independent project definition: , testable claim, methods outline with identified variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| State a clear, for your project. | _______ |
| Write the claim you expect your project to support. | _______ |
| Outline the methods you will use to gather evidence. | _______ |
| Identify your key variables and how you will measure them. | _______ |
| Note one limitation of your proposed approach. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You wrote a testable claim with matching methods.
- You named your variables and one limitation.
- 1Do thisDefine a testable claim and methods for your independent capstone project.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisPre-lab: Independent project definition: researchable question, testable claim, methods outline with identified variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Biotechnology for Health (Biomedical Innovations) › Forensic chain-of-custody basics, independent project claim, final portfolio audit; this is the last content week before WebXam review. › Pre-labOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
An unbroken makes evidence valid because the documented record of every handler and storage step is the only thing that lets you rule out tampering, so a single gap creates doubt no matter how genuine the sample is.
A well-formed claim and methods plan are the foundation of independent inquiry because naming your variables, control, and units in advance is what makes a result provable rather than a matter of opinion.
A detective board holds observations, possible explanations, and one next question.
- Which notes are direct observations?
- Which notes are explanations?
- What new evidence would separate the explanations?
Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
Biomedical investigations use controlled procedures and validated measurements, not intuition alone.
- • Board notes map to E1-E3.
- • Possible explanations map to the decision options.
- • The next question maps to the evidence-based action.
Driving question: Can you rewrite your capstone idea into one claim that names what you expect to find, the variable you will change, the variable you will measure, and the control that keeps the comparison fair?
What you already know: An unbroken makes evidence valid because the documented record of every handler and storage step is the only thing that lets you rule out tampering, so a single gap creates doubt no matter how genuine the sample is.
New idea: A well-formed claim and methods plan are the foundation of independent inquiry because naming your variables, control, and units in advance is what makes a result provable rather than a matter of opinion.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Project question. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Project question.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: Can you rewrite your capstone idea into one claim that names what you expect to find, the variable you will change, the variable you will measure, and the control that keeps the comparison fair?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : The documented record of who handled a piece of evidence, when, and where, proving it was never lost, swapped, or tampered with.
- • : A focused, answerable question that frames a study and guides what data to collect.
- • methodology: The detailed plan of methods, materials, and steps a study follows so the work is systematic and others can repeat it.
- • claim: The position you are defending, stated in one clean sentence; if you cannot say it simply, you do not have it yet.
- • evidence: The facts, data, and cases that carry your claim. Opinions are free; evidence costs homework.
- • limitation: A weakness or boundary of a study, design, or method that restricts how far its results can be trusted or applied.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
A testable claim specifies what you expect to find and in what direction.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
A well-formed claim and methods plan are the foundation of independent inquiry because naming your variables, control, and units in advance is what makes a result provable rather than a matter of opinion.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
You wrote a testable claim with matching methods.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-BFH-2027-05-14 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical design team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Project question supports before submitting the pre-lab readiness record named on the lesson page.
- • Choose the strongest supported explanation.
- • Choose the next evidence to collect.
- • Hold the decision because the evidence is insufficient.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the pre-lab readiness record.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Project question. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from Project question supports before submitting the pre-lab readiness record named on the lesson page.
Context: A testable claim states what you expect and in which direction, and pairs it with variables you can control and measure; without that structure a project is an opinion, not an investigation.
- • T1: State a clear, for your project.
- • T2: Write the claim you expect your project to support.
- • T3: Outline the methods you will use to gather evidence.
- • T4: Identify your key variables and how you will measure them.
- • T5: Note one limitation of your proposed approach.
- • E1: A testable claim specifies what you expect to find and in what direction.
- • E2: A well-formed claim and methods plan are the foundation of independent inquiry because naming your variables, control, and units in advance is what makes a result provable rather than a matter of opinion.
- • E3: You wrote a testable claim with matching methods.
Measurements: Use only the measurements, units, graph, or counts supplied in today's task. No additional patient measurement is implied.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Project question. Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Rate or percent = part / comparison total x 100%. Percent change = (new - comparison) / comparison x 100%.
If 18 of 60 records meet a condition, the frequency is 18 / 60 x 100% = 30%.
Name the comparison total. A percent describes the supplied group and does not automatically predict an individual's outcome.
Use today's supplied counts to calculate one rate, risk, frequency, or percent change. Show the denominator and interpretation.
- • The solution must address the stated need in Project question.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Students often think Students think a good is broad so it can cover a lot, so they write 'How does diet affect health?' and feel it is ambitious.. The trap: That is a trap because a question you cannot fully test in your project is a question you cannot answer at all. Narrowing to one changed variable, one measured outcome, and a unit is not shrinking your project; it is the only thing that makes it finishable and provable.
Question: Does the amount of hand-sanitizer contact time affect how much bacterial growth appears on a surface swab?
Testable claim: I expect that longer sanitizer contact time will lead to fewer bacterial colonies on the swab plate.
Methods outline:
- Independent variable: sanitizer contact time (0, 15, 30, and 60 seconds).
- Dependent variable: number of bacterial colonies, counted after 48 hours of incubation.
- Control: a surface swabbed with no sanitizer (0 seconds).
- Measurement: colonies counted as whole numbers; time measured in seconds with a stopwatch.
- I will run three plates per time to average out variation.
One limitation: My colony counts only sample one surface type, so the results may not apply to all materials or to viruses, which this method does not detect.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Completes the independent-project definition: a researchable question, a testable claim, a methods outline with variables and measurement units, a designated control, and one named limitation.
- Identify the purpose, hazards, and required controls.
- Write the procedure in a usable order.
- Confirm materials, measurements, and waste handling before starting.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit your project question and methods outline on the class site today.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Project question. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this as the classroom resource for project.
Placement rationale
Matched project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-7_Forensic-Autopsy/7.1_Forensic-Autopsy; keywords:forensic, autopsy, fetal pig, organ. Score 158. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Project question. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
A student writes: 'Plants grow better with fertilizer.' Rewrite it as a testable claim that a project could actually measure, and name the control.
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
I can name the procedure's purpose and the evidence I will record. I can identify each named hazard and the control that reduces it: All biological materials must be handled at BSL-1 or as directed by the teacher for the specific organism. My data table is ready before materials are handled.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • All biological materials must be handled at BSL-1 or as directed by the teacher for the specific organism.
- • Wear gloves, goggles, and lab coat whenever handling biological samples or chemical reagents.
- • Decontaminate all biological waste with 10 percent bleach before disposal; nothing biological goes in regular trash.
- • If PCR amplification is used, keep amplicons covered to avoid aerosol contamination of other samples.
- • Any human-sourced material (saliva, cheek cells) requires explicit teacher approval and must follow HIPAA-analogous data handling: no student names attached to samples.
- • Report any chemical or biological spill immediately; do not attempt to clean up alone.
- • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after any contact with biological or chemical materials.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2State a clear, researchable question for your project.
- 3Write the claim you expect your project to support.
- 4Outline the methods you will use to gather evidence.
- 5Identify your key variables and how you will measure them.
- 6Note one limitation of your proposed approach.
- 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
The bench work needs equipment you do not have at home. Do the thinking half now: read the procedure, write your prediction, and set up your data table so it is ready.
Back in class. Ask Mr. Mendoza for the class data set, or for a bench slot to run it yourself. Do not submit a Pre-lab with invented numbers.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
NIST Forensic ScienceYou've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home, including virtual labs, for extra credit. Each item shows its correct submission route.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.