Science Notebook CheckName: ______

Elements and Criteria / Not Present / Lacking / Meets
Organization
  • Dates are provided.
  • Entries are made in an order that is easy to follow.
/ 0 / 1 / 2
Experiments
  • All of the required experiments are provided.
  • The notebook contains all of the required parts.
/ 0 / 1 / 2
Data
  • An effort has been made to record data (including basic observations) from labs where this was required.
  • Data is complete and organized, such as in a table or graph where appropriate.
/ 0 / 1 / 2
Claims and Evidence
  • Claims made after activities demonstrate thought and effort.
  • Claims are based on what you observed in class.
  • Evidence gathered during activities is used to back claims.
/ 0 / 1 / 2
TOTAL / /8

Lab Notebook Guide

  1. Include all lab write-ups in order by the date of the experiment.
  1. Put the date and title of the experiment on the first page of the lab report.
  1. Write down the goal or purpose of the experiment so you know what you are trying to find out.
  1. Whenever possible, write a prediction (or hypothesis) for the experiment.
  1. Whenever possible, include a table or graphto organize your results.
  1. Write the answers to the discussion questions in complete sentences or short phrases or write your own discussing the results and what they mean. Also include any sources of error that could have affected your results.
  1. Draw a conclusion when necessary in a complete sentence. The conclusion should relate to the goal.

SAMPLE LAB WRITE-UP

12/15/11

Conservation of Mass Lab

Goal: To determine if mass is conserved for a chemical reaction.

Trial Number / Mass Before Reaction / Mass After Reaction / Difference in Mass / Mass Conserved?
1 / 20.92 g / 20.92 g / 0.00 g / Yes
2 / 19.98 g / 19.88 g / 0.10 g / No

Discussion: Mass was conserved (not lost) for the first trial but not the second. This could be due to the fact that we spilled some of our chemicals on the lab table.

Conclusion: Mass is conserved for chemical reactions when all sources of error are taken into account. The mass was the same before the reaction and after the reaction (as shown in the data table), so mass was conserved. (Notice how the conclusion acts as the answer to the goal or purpose).

SAMPLE LAB WRITE-UP #1

Assume all other lab write-ups were included in order, the rest of the table was complete, & there was some participation in class discussions

Egg-speriment

Date / Liquid / Prediction / Circumference (mm) / Other Observations
10/14 / Vinegar / Nothing / 120 / Egg looked like an egg
10/15 / Vinegar / Egg will get smaller / 145 / Felt funny
Water / Chicken will hatch / 150

Discussion/Conclusion

The egg got bigger or smaller depending what liquid it was placed in. Osmosis occurs and water moves inside or outside the cell.

SAMPLE LAB WRITE-UP #2

Assume all other lab write-ups were included in order, the rest of the table was complete, & there was participation in class discussions

Egg-speriment

Date / Liquid / Prediction / Circumference (mm) / Other Observations
10/14 / Vinegar / Nothing will move in or out due to the shell / 120 / Egg was white
10/15 / Vinegar / Egg will get bigger / 145 / Could see through egg
10/16 / Water / Egg will get smaller / 150 / Egg feels like rubber

Discussion/Conclusion

The egg got bigger or smaller depending what liquid it was placed in. When placed in a liquid that is mostly water (such as vinegar), the egg got bigger because water moved inside. The opposite occurs (water moves out and the egg shrinks) when placed in a liquid, such as syrup, that has less water than is inside the egg. Osmosis occurs because water is moving from a higher to a lower concentration in all cases causing the egg to shrink or swell.

1