Regents Biology Lab Information 2013-2014
Mr. Shrout
Lab # Lab Title
- Laboratory Tools, Techniques, and Safety
- Use and Care of the Compound Light Microscope
- Diffusion Through a Membrane*
- Plant and Animal Cell Types and Drawing Prepared Slides
- Observing Living Protists
- Using a Dichotomous Key
- Beaks of Finches*
- Relationships and Biodiversity*
- Introduction to Electrophoresis
- DNA Fingerprinting
- Making Connections*
- Dissections- Earthworm and Frog
*- indicates a lab designed by NY State
The order of the labs is subject to change
General Information – Lab Policy
· Labs will be assessed in a variety of ways.
o Some labs will have reports- Lab reports are usually due the day following the last scheduled lab period for that lab.
o Some labs will have practical’s- A lab practical is similar to a quiz based on the material that should have been learned during the lab.
· The penalty for late lab reports will be a 10% grade reduction.
· All lab reports must be satisfactorily completed (66% or higher) and turned in one week prior to the end of the marking period, failure to do so will result in a grade of zero for the missing lab report … which must still be turned in order to fulfill the lab requirement for the course.
· You will not receive a separate lab grade on your report card… your lab grade will count 20% of your biology grade each quarter. You may check your lab grade and progress in PowerSchool and by checking the posted grades periodically.
· Any students missing labs will receive an academic assistance card for Lab.
Regents Lab Requirement: The New York State Board of Regents requires that all Regents Biology students must complete a minimum of thirty (30) periods of laboratory work per year and to satisfactorily write-up all lab work completed during the school year… that’s 12 satisfactory lab reports!
Any student who fails to meet the lab requirement will:
1) not be permitted to take the Biology Regents exam in June
2) not receive Regents credit for the course (even if the student should receive a passing grade despite a final exam grade of zero)
How to Write-up Your Lab Reports
While the Dissection and state labs will differ, many of your labs will require you to write a lab report. The following details this process.
Attached to each lab packet is a cover sheet called the “Procedure, Data, and Conclusions Sheet.”
This sheet will provide you with the following information for writing up the lab report:
(1) Title of the lab
(2) Number of the lab
(3) The specific procedures that you need to write-up
(4) The data that needs to be reported in the write-up… not all data will be reported
(5) The conclusion questions that must be answered
All students will be required to use the following format for writing up all lab reports in Regents Biology this year.
1. HEADING: Be sure to fill out all parts of the heading on your lab write-up sheets (available in Rm. 113).
2. PURPOSE Statement: This is a short statement of why the investigation was done or what will be learned in the experiment. The “objectives” in the lab handout will usually tell you what the purpose is. It can be what you learned about or what you are investigating.
3. PROCEDURE: You will record the information indicated on the “Procedure, Data, and Conclusion Cover Sheet” attached to the front of your lab packet… it will not necessarily be the exact procedural instructions from your lab sheet! Pay attention to that Lab Write-up Summary Sheet!
4. OBSERVATIONS/DATA: Be sure to clearly label all of you data. Include proper headings, units of measurement, and any other information that will clearly identify the data.
5. CONCLUSIONS: Again refer to your Lab Write-up Summary Sheet for the conclusion questions to be answered in drawing your conclusions. All conclusions must be written in complete sentences. Do not copy the questions… but you must write your answers in such a way that the question is clear.
Note… Your answers to the conclusion questions should show your own original thought… not your lab partner’s!! Cheating will not be tolerated!! Each lab report should reflect only your own work!! If there is reason to suspect that people are copying each other’s lab reports, all students involved will receive a zero for that lab report.
The lab component represents an important part of the Regents Biology course. Many of the skills and observations learned in the laboratory are used in the Biology Regents Exam. Work hard... Do your best… Learn well.
When you write your name at the top of the lab report conclusion page, you are certifying that all the work contained on the lab report represents your own best effort!