LAS Research 2 (GRADE 8) MELC 5 Q3 Week5
LAS Research 2 (GRADE 8) MELC 5 Q3 Week5
LAS Research 2 (GRADE 8) MELC 5 Q3 Week5
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in
any work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the
government agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for the
exploitation of such work for a profit. Such agency or office may, among other
things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.
This Learning Activity Sheet is developed by DepEd Region 6 – Western
Visayas.
The Research 2 Activity Sheet will help you facilitate the leaching-learning
activities specified in each Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC) with
minimal or no face-to-face encounter between you and the learner. This will be
made available to the learners with the references/links to ease independent
learning.
Experiments are done under controlled conditions so that the results can be
achieved. Important concepts must be considered in learning about designing and
conducting experiments.
The purpose of the control group or control treatment is for comparison. The
results from the experimental treatment will be compared to the results of the
control group. This helps in making valid conclusions about how organic fertilizer
showed its effects on the growth of the plants. There are two types of control groups
in experiments: negative and positive control groups. A negative control group
receives a negative control treatment (this is without treatment or a treatment that
will not give an effect). A positive control group receives a positive control
treatment, a treatment that is already known for a particular effect.
Aside from doing the Scientific Method as a general method of conducting any
Science-related activities, laboratory methods and techniques are essentially
introduced since experiments are mostly done in laboratories. Cambridge
dictionary defines a laboratory as “a room or building with scientific equipment
for doing scientific tests for teaching Science, or a place where chemicals or
medicines are produced.” On the other hand, laboratory techniques are
procedures and practices that are required in utilizing various equipment inside
the laboratory.
Here are some of the laboratory techniques and methods that you need to learn
as you conduct your research study:
A. Microbiological Techniques
In microbiology, microorganisms like archaea, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses,
etc. are being studied.
2) Aseptic Techniques
This is done to lessen the chance of bacterial contamination. Furthermore, this
also involves disinfecting working area 4exposed to microbiological media to
minimize the possible contact by bacteria from the air and use flames to kill
bacteria that might enter the vessels after opening them.
3) Inoculation
This is the process by which bacteria are introduced to a media in various
means. For example (bacteria), from a drop in a heat-sterilized loop are dispersed
on the surface of the agar. This is the same with broth cultures. For bacteria in a
liquid, a sterile pipette is introduced to a Petri dish before the agar is poured on
the top (“pour plates”).
4) Incubation
This is the process of maintaining favorable conditions for growth and
development, i.e., microbiological culture.
The Petri dishes that contain the agar or tubes contain broth are incubated, for
example, a special apparatus is placed in a room with a fixed temperature
(usually at 37 °C, for pathogens, while for bacteria is 35 °C from the environment).
In school, incubation temperatures are set lower to minimize the growth of
potential pathogens.
B. Chemical
1) Spectrophotometry
This is a method by which you measure the amount of absorption and
transmittance of light. This is used widely for qualitative analysis in various fields
of Sciences (e.g., biochemistry, biology, chemistry, material and chemical
engineering, clinical applications, industrial applications, etc. ). A
spectrophotometer is a device that measures the number of photons (the intensity
of light) passing through a sample solution. This consists of two devices: a
spectrometer and a photometer. A spectrometer is a device that disperses and
measures light. On the other hand, a photometer consists of a photoelectric
detector that measures the intensity of light.
2) Extraction
This is the conversion of compound/s from a solid or liquid state into another
phase or state.
Step 1: Air Drying of Samples. After collecting the adequate amount of plant
samples, wash with clean water and dry5 at room temperature. The efficiency of
extracting crude compounds can be achieved when the plant samples are air-
dried.
Step 2: Grinding the Dried Samples into Powder. The purpose of this step is to
turn samples into small pieces (powder) using a Wiley Mill or if you do not have
one, you can use a pair of scissors. Compounds can easily dissolve in the solvent
when the plant sample is powdered.
Step 3: Soaking the Ground Plant Samples in a Solvent. Soaking the ground
samples in a specific solvent will make the compounds go to the solvent or will
dissolve in the solvent. This is already the start of the extraction process. The
kind of solvent you want to use depends on your study particularly on the
specific compound you want to extract from the plants. Most commonly used are
ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether, and hexane.
Step 4: Collecting the filtrate. The dissolved compounds from the plant samples
can be found in the filtrate, the liquid mixture. Filter the mixture using a filter
paper (usually Whatman #1 filter paper or as required by the procedure).
Step 5: Evaporating the solvent. This is the last step in preparing the crude
compounds of crude extract from the plant sample. You can evaporate the
solvent using a Rotatory Evaporator (Rotavap) or you can simplify by evaporating
the solvent by heating using an alcohol lamp. The crude extract should be in
semi-solid form.
Step 6: Recover the extract from the rotary evaporator container. The extract
should be semi-solid or sticky in appearance to ensure that the solvent ethanol
or other solvent chemicals are thoroughly removed.
3) Titration
This is the process of determining the concentration of a solution. Medwick &
Kirschner (2010) defined titration as “a common laboratory method of quantitative
chemical analysis that used to determine the unknown concentration of an
identified analyte.” The common types of titration are acid-base titration and
redox titration. An acid-base titration depends on the neutralization between an
acid and a base when mixed in a solution. When there is a change in color in the
acid-base indicator signals the endpoint of the titration.
C. Physical
1) Aeration
This is the interchange of various gases (CO2 & O2) between the atmosphere and
soil and the various reactions that either consume or produce gases in the soil.
For example, the oxygen gas (O2) moves from the atmosphere to soil and is
consumed by plant roots and microorganisms. While carbon dioxide (CO 2) moves
from soil, where it is produced by the plant and microbial respiration, to the
atmosphere.
2) Centrifugation
This is the process of separating substances applying centrifugal force through
the use of a centrifuge. A centrifuge is a device used to separate particles or
macromolecules (i.e., cells, nucleic acids, proteins, and sub-cellular components).
3) Chromatography
The word chromatography means “color writing”, which chemists used to test
liquid mixtures. This is the process of separating organic and inorganic
compounds used by scientists to analyze and study these compounds.
4) Distillation
This is the process by which organic compounds
7 (contain carbon) are purified.
This is advantageous in the sense that two different compounds have different
boiling points. Take, for example, two different liquids are present in a
homogeneous mixture (completely miscible, e.g., H 2O & alcohol). If these
compounds have different boiling points, one of the compounds will evaporate
first (volatile) before the other will.
5) Drying
This is defined as the process of vaporizing and removing water or other liquids
in a certain material to form a dry solid. Physiochemical transformations result
from the simultaneous heat and mass transfer (which are critical factors in the
drying process).
6) Grinding
This is the process of turning a material into small pieces from fine to coarse
using a certain device, i.e., Wiley Mill or a grinding wheel.
7) pH measurement
A pH is a measurement of how weak and strong a particular acidic or basic
substance. A substance with a pH of 7 is neutral, i.e., H2O. A pH lower than 7
means acidic, i.e., acetic acid found in vinegar. A pH higher than 7 is a base, i.e.,
sodium hypochlorite found in bleaching products.
8) Weighing
This procedure shows how o use a balance to make a precise and accurate
measurement, i.e., mass. To do this, the use of measuring devices is very
essential.
Directions. Using the given statement/title in each number, try to identify the
laboratory techniques being described. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. A particular food color mixture was separated into two colors – red and blue.
2. The human blood needs to keep its pH approximately 7.4 to maintain stability to
avoid any complications from it.
4. The tannins, theobromine, and caffeine are obtained from the tea leaves in
boiling water.
5. Alcoholic beverages like whiskey are produced from fermented grains like corn or
rye at distilleries.
7. Natural and synthetic food coloring are used as additives to make food more
acceptable and popular. Non-permitted coloring agents are not added to the
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foods, instead, edible colors are. Thus, these coloring agents are identified and
quantified.
9. A baker wanted to know the amount of salt or sugar that might affect the color
of the cake that she will bake.
10. Removing water in wet lettuce with the use of a salad spinner
Questions
Directions: Answer the following on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Based on the activities that you have accomplished, why do you need to know
the different laboratory methods and techniques in performing experiments?
2. Among the laboratory methods and/or techniques you have learned, which
would you likely utilize in conducting experiments that would answer your
research questions?
IV. Reflection
Complete the statements below.
I understand_____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
I don’t understand _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
I need more information about ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
V. Links and Other References
Experimental Methods. 2021. ScienceDirect ®. Retrieved on February 9, 2021, from
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=233&pri
ntable=1
Lahora, Oliver A. (2020). Scientific Research for Junior High School. pp. 45-46, 55,
137
Questions
Students’ answers may vary.