Inglemoor HS / IB Bio Year 1
A Caption for the Photograph of Bioluminescent E. coli
In brief: Write an 8-10 sentence caption and the photograph of your bioluminescent bacteria plate. The caption can appear next to or above/below your photograph. Your audience is the IHS administrative team!
Helpful tips: Captions are an important way to inform readers. When writing your caption, first create a short, interesting caption identifier in bold face type. It does not need to be a complete sentence. It is the first text of the caption and encourages the reader (an educated individual) to pick up your paper and read it! It can be flippant, frivolous, catchy, clever, or witty.
Next, describe what is in your photograph. Use present tense. Then, write about the events that took place to produce the plate; the activities that occurred before the photo was taken. Use past tense. Try not to change tenses in the same sentence.
All of your sentences should be lively and well constructed. Steer clear of boring, passive phrases like "is shown." Aside from the caption identifier, write in complete sentences. For valuable feedback, give a draft of your paper to a friend or family member. This will "force" you to either explain the technical terms you use, or consider substituting less technical vocabulary.
Caption Assessment Rubric.Note: The first row is TRIPLE the point value of the second row
Novice - Level 1 / In Progress –
Level 2 / On Standard - Level 3 / Above Standard -Level 4
Inaccuracies and/or conceptual gaps force reader to refer to an outside resource (lab manual, text, etc.) to understand the photo. / Description is slightly unclear. Reader can make sense of the photo, but is left with lingering questions. OR, The description is tedious & overstuffed, as if the writer didn’t know what was important. / - Accurately identifies what is in the photo, in present tense.
- Describes events that took place to make the plate, in past tense.
- Communicates technical concepts without reading like a lab procedure. / Achieves Level 3 AND choice of words is especially informative, accessible, and/or interesting. Relates to the photo particularly well.
Errors so frequent and/or serious, it is hard to focus on ideas. Must read more than once to interpret. Extensive editing needed. / Enough errors to distract an attentive reader somewhat. Reads like a first draft. Moderate editing needed. Errors appear once every 1 or 2 sentences. / An attentive reader would notice a few errors, but they do not obscure meaning. Paper needs only a light editing touch-up. / Clean, edited & polished. Errors so few/minor that a reader might overlook them unless searching for them specifically.
Due Date (note that this assignment must be word-processed): ______
Also turn in your flowchart, plate sketch, and T.E. calculation
Works Cited
Feldman, D. and J. Schneider. “Picture This: Caption Tips.” Columbia Missourian: Copy Desk Reference. May 1999. Archived at
http://web.missouri.edu/~jschool/missourian/captions.htm>.
“Do you have any tips for writing captions?” Herff Jones Yearbook Discoveries. 2005. 30 January 2005. <http://www.yearbooks.biz