Ralph & Bev Shock  

Beginning Handouts

 

CALCULATING YOUR GRADE
I. Assignment average:
A. Get the sum total of all the highest grades made on assignments.
B. Get the sum total of all the grades you made on assignments.
C. Take the total of the grades you made on assignments divided by the total of the highest grades and multiply by 100% to get the assignment average you earned.
(B divided by A) x 100%

Example:

Assignment Grades:

A. Highest grades	B. Your grade
78	71
90	82
115	99
45	23
55	54
Total: 383	Total: 329

Assignment average: (329/383) x 100=86%

II. Test average:

C. Get the sum total of all the highest grades made on tests.
D. Get the sum total of all the grades you made on tests.
E. Take the total of the grades you made on tests divided by the total of the highest grades and multiply by 100% to get the test average you earned.
(D divided by E) x 100%
Example:

C. Highest grades	D. Your grade on tests
105	81
91	82
125	99
45	40
72	68
Total: 438	Total: 370

Assignment average: (370/438) x 100=84%
III. Overall grade:

F. Take your assignment average plus you test average and divide by 2.
(I.+II.)/2=your overall grade.

Example: (86 + 84)/2=85%

Any time a student gets the highest grade in the class on a major exam they do not have to take the next exam.

The student with the most high grades on exams over the course of the semester that student does not have to take the final.

Any student with less than five absences gets their lowest test score replaced with the highest score for that particular exam.

 

SAFETY REGULATIONS AND CONTRACT

Proper planning, prudent foresight, and care must be continuously, exercised by everyone. By following the safeguards and precautions written in this lab course, and expounded by your teacher you should be practicing good safety skills.

To insure that a safe and healthful environment is maintained while taking the Chemistry laboratory course, each student is expected to read and adhere to the safety regulations listed below, and to the supplemental directions and safety procedures presented by the instructor. To indicate that you have completely read and that you understand these safety regulations, you are asked to give your signature along with that of your parent or guardian along with the date in the spaces provided.

1. Safety goggles and lab aprons are to be worn at all times by everyone (including visitors) while in the laboratory.

2. Contact lenses should not be worn in the laboratory because there is a possibility that chemicals may infuse under the contact lens and cause irreparable eye damage. (If there is no alternative to contact lenses the student should use utmost care to keep the safety goggles on at all times and, if any irritation is sensed, leave the lab remove the lens and rinse the eye with eye drops or water. Report to the teacher.)

3. You shall prepare for each laboratory experiment by reading all instructions, and outlining the lab so that you do not need the lab manual to do the experiment. (Be sure your partner is similarly prepared.) You will also want to prepare any data tables needed to record observations. Follow all directions and review with the instructor the safety precautions before you begin. Only materials and equipment authorized by your instructor should be used.

4. Everyone should be alert and proceed with caution at all times in the laboratory. Take care not to bump another student, and remain at your lab station while performing an experiment.

5. Your apparel should be appropriate for laboratory work. Long hanging necklaces, bulky sweaters, and excessive bulky clothing should not be worn in the laboratory. Cotton or wool clothing is preferred over nylon or polyesters. Shoes are preferred over sandals.

6. Only lab outlines and lab notebooks are permitted in any science laboratory. Other books, purses and such items should be placed in your desk.

7. No food or beverage is permitted in any science laboratory. NEVER taste chemicals, NEVER touch chemicals with your hands, and NEVER smell chemicals in the laboratory unless you are instructed to do so by the instructor.

8. Extreme caution should be exercised while using a burner. Keep your head and clothing away from the flame and turn off the burner when not in use. Long hair must be confined. Gas burners should be lighted only with a striker in accordance with the instructor's directions. Check to see that all burners and hot plates are turned off before leaving the laboratory.

9. You should know the proper fire drill procedures and the location of the fire blankets and fire extinguishers.

10. Work areas and apparatus should be clean and tidy. You should always clean and wipe dry all apparatus and laboratory work areas at the conclusion of each laboratory period.

11. Solid waste produced during the lab is to be placed in the waste jars on your lab table. At the end of each lab period this jar is to be emptied into a lined garbage can. Liquid waste should be washed down the drain with large amounts of water unless you are instructed to dispose of it in some other manner.

12. Hands should be washed thoroughly with soap and water at the conclusion of each laboratory period.

13. You should study the Safety sketches and Techniques in your lab text and review them with your instructor.

14. Everyone should recognize and heed all safety symbols and cautions incorporated into the procedures of the laboratory experiments.

15. All accidents should be reported to the teacher immediately, no matter how minor they may seem to you.

16. NEVER WORK ALONE IN THE LABORATORY. You should only work in the laboratory while you are under the supervision of your teacher and with your assigned class, unless you have special permission of your teacher.

I, ______________________________, ____ period, have read and agree to abide by the safety regulations as set forth above, the handout "Safety in the Chemistry Laboratory", and any additional printed instructions provided by the teacher and/or district. I further agree to follow all written and verbal instructions given in class. I realize that failure to do so can create a hazard to myself and other people. Also failure to follow these regulations may result in my suspension from lab and a grade of zero for laboratory work.

_______________ _______________________________
Date Student Signature

 

_______________ _______________________________
Date Parent or Guardian Signature

Breakage: Once a student checks out equipment he/she is responsible for its safe return either to the general supplies set out for a specific lab or their own chemistry equipment drawer. Students will pay for all broken or damaged equipment. Lab fees cover consumables not breakage.

 

HOW TO WRITE YOUR CHEMISTRY LAB REPORT

Chemistry I

The best overall advice I can give a student is to write your lab report as if you were reporting it to someone who hasn't done the lab. A well written lab can be understood by someone who hasn't done the lab. A good student will have a relative or friend read their lab before it is handed in. If they can understand your report without asking you a lot of questions, then you've probably written a complete lab. One of the factors your lab will be graded on is how complete it is. REMEMBER! A well written lab is complete unto itself!

I. GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Write out a draft of your report first, then recopy your finished product to be handed in.

2. Neatness counts! Labs should be typed or neatly handwritten. Illegible hand- writing and misspelled words will result in a lowered grade. Dirty, stained or torn reports also lose points. If your report is done from a spiral-type notebook, trim the paper nibs. If you use standard three hole type binder paper, do not rip the lab from your notebook. Instead, open the binder and remove the pages.

3. Type or write on one side of the page only.

4. Handwritten labs must be done in ink.

5. Corrections should be made in a neat manner. Do not scribble out your errors.

6. You and your lab partner(s) should have the same data. When you copy some data from your partner(s) it is your responsibility to check the calculations. It is obvious that cheating has occured in lab groups where the same arithmetic error occurs on two or more papers. You may use your lab partner's data only if you know it is correct. If you don't check the calculations or you don't understand them you may not copy them. You and your lab partner will get zeroes if I determine that cheating has been going on. Each person in the group writes their own report. There is nothing wrong with looking over each other's reports to see if you and your partners agree on what happened in the lab, but if the written report is identical or obviously reworded in places all persons involved will receive zeroes. The final word is: You and your partners can have the same numbers provided they've been checked by each partner...prose (sentences) is never copied.
II. PARTS OF THE REPORT (Each part of the lab should be labelled and underlined)
1. Title:

2. Purpose: Also known as the objective. This is the reason for doing the lab. The purpose asks the following question. "What principles or concepts are being investigated in the lab?" One or two sentences will do.

3. Procedure: This is a brief summary of what you did in lab. Use numbered steps in the procedure. Each number goes on a new line. Don't write a book!

4. Data Table: This is the information you recorded during the lab. It is to be organized in a logical manner. Never break a data table between two pages if at all possible. Several types of tables are commonly used:
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Mass of empty test tube _____g Mass of empty test tube _____g _____g _____g
Mass of empty test tube & KClO3 _____g Mass of empty test tube & KClO3 _____g _____g _____g
Mass of KClO3 _____g Mass of KClO3 _____g _____g _____g
Mass of KCl & test tube _____g Mass of KCl & test tube _____g _____g _____g
Mass of KCl _____g Mass of KCl _____g _____g _____g
Two Examples of column type data tables

An example of a grid type data table
A. Some guidelines for data tables:
a. The idea of a data table is to show all your information in an organized and summarized format.
b. Do not break your data table between two pages if at all possible.
c. When using a grid type data table make sure the boxes are large enough to contain all the information necessary.
d. Be sure your table contains headings for the columns and rows where necessary.
e. Do not include your data in the procedure section of your report.
f. Use a straight edge to make your grid.

All lab reports contain the above 4 parts: Title, purpose, procedure and data table. The following parts are often (but not always) found in each lab. Your instructor will tell you which ones to include in each of your lab reports.

5. Chemical Equations: A properly balanced equation should be included for those reactions when such equations are necessary for the understanding of the lab.
2 KClO₃ --> 2 KCl + 3O₂

6. Mathematical Equations and Calculations: All calculations and the formulae that you use in your calculations should be properly labelled and included in this section. Example:

(Note: the numbers used in this example would have been taken from the data table)
7. Graphs: At times you will graph portions of your data and include it in your report.

8. Conclusion: This is often the most important part of your lab, although it is sometimes not necessary to include one. The conclusion is not a summary of what you did in the lab, you already did that in the procedure. The conclusion refers to the purpose of the lab. It answers the question asked in the purpose. Your data and your calculations are used as evidence in your answer. Example:

If the purpose of the lab was to determine what type of changes constitute a chemical change versus physical change, the conclusion would state what the differences between chemical and physical changes were using the observations you recorded in your data table as evidence. A conclusion uses the data and results of a lab to explain the chemical and physcial concepts that you learned in the lab. A conclusion is not a restatement of the procedure or the results.