Sixth Grade · Science · week 35

Writing the impact report

Write a complete report on the human-impact design project, covering the problem, method, baseline and follow-up data, and a final recommendation.

This week, pull together everything from the past two weeks, the problem, the design, the baseline data, the follow-up data, and any refinement, into a single clear report, using the same presentation structure practiced in week 26: question (or problem), method, data, and conclusion, with one addition. A design project's report also needs a recommendation: based on everything you measured, should this design be kept, adjusted further, or replaced with a different approach entirely?

A strong recommendation is specific and honest, grounded in the actual numbers gathered, not in how much effort went into the project or how good the idea sounded at the start. If the data showed only a small improvement, a good report says so plainly and suggests a specific next step, rather than overstating the result. Writing an honest, evidence-based recommendation, even an unflashy one, is one of the most valuable real-world skills this whole design project has been building toward.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Help them lay out the report in the five clear sections before worrying about polishing the language of any one section.
  • Check that every claim in the recommendation section can be traced back to an actual number from the baseline or follow-up data.
  • If the result was underwhelming, resist the urge to help them "spin" it; model honest, matter-of-fact reporting instead.
  • Treat this report as strong practice for the year-end science fair presentation coming next week.
Talk about it:
  • What was the single most important number in your whole project?
  • What would you recommend doing next with this project, and why?
  • What was the most surprising part of running this project from start to finish?

Mastery looks like: They can write a complete, honest report with a specific, data-grounded recommendation for their design project.

Common stumbles: Writing a recommendation not actually supported by the data collected; omitting the baseline or follow-up numbers and describing results only in vague terms.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Science for this learner.
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