"Gosh, botany is tough. I'll never learn to recognize all these trees!"
"Come come, Dick. Pine. Elm. Hickory, chestnut, maple. Part of our heritage is the lure of living things, the
storybook of nature."
"That's true, Bruce. I'll learn to read that book of nature yet!"
"Come come, Dick. Pine. Elm. Hickory, chestnut, maple. Part of our heritage is the lure of living things, the
storybook of nature."
"That's true, Bruce. I'll learn to read that book of nature yet!"
Formal Labs & Lab Notebooks
You are required to have a lab notebook in which to keep your data. A black and white Composition book is required (no spiral notebooks allowed – Why? They tear up and won’t last the year). The notebook should contain information about each formal lab and some of the lab activities we perform. The first page should be a table of contents; the rest of the book should have page numbers written on the bottom right-hand corner of the right page only. The table of contents will be page 1. All information in the notebook should be written in INK; no white-out is allowed. If a mistake is made entering data into your table, simply make a single line through the datum and write the correct information next to it.
You will be working in groups so data for your group will be the same, but each of you must have a complete lab notebook.
Some activities we do will not be formal experiments and formal lab reports will not be required, but the information may still be included in your lab notebook, depending on the format. Instructions will be given as needed.
After a lab is completed, a formal lab report must be submitted. The purpose of the report is to present your experiment and conclusions in a professional manner. Reports should be typed. Each part of the report should be on a separate page. Reports will be worth around 80 points, and will be graded on grammar, spelling, presentation, and, of course, the science involved.
Each report will contain two parts: the original experiment and a hypothetical second report. The second report should include changes you would make to improve the lab should someone do it again. Grammar changes and clarification of previous methods are NOT legitimate changes. Methods used to improve accuracy or broaden data collection are legitimate changes. THE SECOND REPORT SHOULD IMPROVE THE LAB, NOT THE WRITEUP OF THE LAB. See the formal template (below) for more.
All data tables and figures should be pasted or incorporated into your lab document. When emailing your labs, do not email tables and figures separately. There should only be one document attached.
Please click here to download the file "A Typical Formal Lab Report. . . " (pdf) and read it thoroughly.
Click on the following links for more information:
General Rules for Writing
Citing Sources
Submitting Documents via E-mail
Sample Grading Rubric for a Formal Lab
Formal Lab Template For Your Use
Website Evaluation Form
You will be working in groups so data for your group will be the same, but each of you must have a complete lab notebook.
Some activities we do will not be formal experiments and formal lab reports will not be required, but the information may still be included in your lab notebook, depending on the format. Instructions will be given as needed.
After a lab is completed, a formal lab report must be submitted. The purpose of the report is to present your experiment and conclusions in a professional manner. Reports should be typed. Each part of the report should be on a separate page. Reports will be worth around 80 points, and will be graded on grammar, spelling, presentation, and, of course, the science involved.
Each report will contain two parts: the original experiment and a hypothetical second report. The second report should include changes you would make to improve the lab should someone do it again. Grammar changes and clarification of previous methods are NOT legitimate changes. Methods used to improve accuracy or broaden data collection are legitimate changes. THE SECOND REPORT SHOULD IMPROVE THE LAB, NOT THE WRITEUP OF THE LAB. See the formal template (below) for more.
All data tables and figures should be pasted or incorporated into your lab document. When emailing your labs, do not email tables and figures separately. There should only be one document attached.
Please click here to download the file "A Typical Formal Lab Report. . . " (pdf) and read it thoroughly.
Click on the following links for more information:
General Rules for Writing
Citing Sources
Submitting Documents via E-mail
Sample Grading Rubric for a Formal Lab
Formal Lab Template For Your Use
Website Evaluation Form
