Extra Credit Project
Biology w/ Mr Herlands

The facts:  Extra credit will be worth up to 10 points added to a quiz/test score
    • Available one time only per student per trimester
    • Score will be based mostly on content, partially on presentation of content (clarity, neatness)

The details: Students must do either a research paper (~2 pages) or a presentation (~5 minutes)
    • Research paper should: be typed, well-written, and organized; contain a title, paragraphs for separate ideas, thesis statement, transitions, and conclusion.
    • Presentation can take many forms: Powerpoint, poster, pamphlet, musical/song, etc, but must be focused on biology content

How & Why:  Topic and plan must get pre-approval by Mr. Herlands
    • Topic should be something you're interested in and want to learn more about anyway—it’s an extension—and it must have a biology focus
    • It’s your opportunity to teach teacher and classmates about something you’ve become     knowledgeable about

Biology Lab Report Outline

Lab Report Guidelines

π = # of paragraphs recommended

Section 1:  Background: (1π) Answers the following questions:

         • π1: Why are we doing this lab? How does the lab connect with what we’ve been learning about in class?

Section 2:  Materials & Methods: (2π) Includes the following, as lists or paragraphs, and should be clear and detailed enough for future students to accurately repeat your lab:

        • π1: Materials needed (all)
        • π2: Procedures followed (all)

Section 3:  Results: (1 chart, 1π) A visual representation and written summary of the data you collected during the experiment. Includes:

        • Data Table/Graph/Chart with Title
        • π1: Brief written description of the results in the data table

Section 4:  Analysis & Conclusion: (3π) A discussion of the results: what happened in the lab, how do your results compare to expected or class results, and areas for improvement. Include:

        • π1: All constants, Independent/Dependent variables
        • π2: Compare your results to expected/class results: What happened and why? What did you expect to happen?
        • π3: Identify mistakes made and difficulties during the lab, and suggest ways to improve

 Sample Data Chart

Lichen Lab Procedures

Day 1

Safety Gear on

Obtain a chunk of Lung Lichen (Post-It note-sized) pre-soaked for one day
Label 4 test tubes with masking tape and Sharpie with your period and lab group # and the chemical name: 1 is distilled H2O, other 3 are your choice out of 4:   SrCl2 , AlCl3 , CaCl2 , or KCl
Use hole punch to cut 20 complete discs from lichen
Using forceps, put 5 discs in each test tube
Clean up: Put all equipment back where you found it, clean it if necessary, wash hands
Teacher adds 2ml of methylene blue dye to each tube

Day 2 procedures

Safety gear on

Strain lichen discs over sink
Rinse discs with d-H20 to remove all blue dye
Rinse test tubes with d-H20 to remove blue dye
Place 5 discs back into each test tube
Add 9ml of metal cations to 3 test tubes
Add 9ml d-H20 to the 4th tube (control)
Wait 5-10 minutes
Gently shake tubes to mix dye
Compare tube colors to light box colors
Record data

Clean up:  Strain out discs, all liquid down the drain

Welcome to the first days of the 2012-2013 school year! I am a new biology teacher at Cottage Grove High School, and I will use this website/blog to post what is happening each week in class, as well as to post pictures, information, and other links related to what we're doing in class. Stay tuned...