Author: Biology Junction Team

Biology Study Skills

You, too, can succeed in biology. The following strategies
will help you get an A in biology. They are the result of years of interviewing students who were able to achieve success in
their biology courses.

  1. Successful biology students say they study a minimum of 2 hours per day, seven days a week, throughout the semester.
  2. Biology is hard work, so be aggressive. Take it as a challenge and give it your time and your energy.
  3. Read your chapters at the start of your study and again before testing.
  4. Know and understand all your terminology. In biology it is extremely helpful to begin by studying your Latin and Greek roots. Study these roots. Make 3″ x 5″ flash cards to help you memorize them and later do the same with your terminology.
  5. Biology teachers have reported that if something is brought into the lab, it is guaranteed that you will be tested on it. So pay attention to whatever is brought into the lab, even its name.
  6. Chemistry is not a pre­requisite for taking biology but taking a chemistry course before or while taking biology would be exceedingly beneficial.
  7. Make it a practice to read over the topic or chapter before going to your biology class.
  8. Attend all classes and be an active listener. Successful students take full and comprehensive notes, writing down about 66% of what is said in lecture, while failing students write half as much.
  9. After class go over the material as soon as possible and again eight hours later. Studies have shown that you are more likely to remember the information later. Fill in all the missing words or incomplete explanations. Recite important concepts in your own words.
  10. Always remember you have the right to ask questions before, during and after class. See your instructors for help.
  11. Read and study all your textbook explanations — figures, tables, charts, graphs, etc.
  12. Whenever possible explain aloud to another person what you are learning. Work with a classmate and explain terminology and concepts to each other.
  13. Describe in your own words the similarities and differences between the different concepts you are learning.
  14. If biology is your most difficult subject, then always study it before all other subjects. You must study biology when you are most alert and fresh. Make sure to take 5 or 10 minute breaks every 20 to 40 minutes in order to clear your mind.
  15. Making up mnemonics memory techniques may be fun as well as beneficial.
  16. Take sample online tests for yourself and review your mistakes.
  17. If possible, have a friend or family member quiz you on your notes and text information. Done regularly this commits more information to long-term memory.

Cheryl’s Frog Pond

Christmas 2003

2007

Granddaughters

Tucker, Oscar, & Kelly

I lost my last dachshund (TUCKER) October 2013!

SILAS and ABBIE — My new best buddies!

My Philosophy:

I received my bachelor and master’s degrees in biology from Arkansas State University and have taught science for 40 years. Everyone in my family has always loved nature and the outdoors so being able to share this love of nature with my students is a daily pleasure for me. My extended family now includes two dachshunds, a beautiful daughter and handsome son-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren.

My philosophy of life is simple — “Treat one another with kindness and love, return no one evil for evil, and take care of the earth and all of its inhabitants.”

Every day is a gift so always remember to enjoy it!

Massengale’s Classroom Rules

Behavior

  1. Be in assigned seat ready to work BEFORE the tardy bell rings.
  2. Hang book bags/purses on the desk hook.
  3. If you have a problem, DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE TEACHER. INSTEAD, ASK to discuss ISSUES after class with the teacher in PRIVATE!
  4. Bring paper, pencil, notebook, and assignments every day.
  5. No form of disruptive behavior (noises, talking back, refusing to work, unnecessary visiting, etc.) will be tolerated.
  6. Please SAVE QUESTIONS until after roll is checked UNLESS you have an EMERGENCY.
    Work ONLY on BIOLOGY in class & don’t close up early.
  7. I will dismiss you (not the bell); leave chairs pushed up, books closed, & your area clean.
    N0 food or outside drinks may be brought into class.
  8. Always be on time!

Assignments – No credit will be given unless:

  1. Assignments must be COMPLETE and ON TIME to receive FULL credit.
  2. Assignments must be WRITTEN IN PENCIL or BLUE/BLACK INK to receive credit.
  3. NAME and PERIOD must be written in the upper right corner or 5 POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED.
  4. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR MAKE UP WORK so check each day, and turn in assignments, pick up work, & schedule missed tests when you return to school.
  5. All missed labs will be made up AFTER SCHOOL & tests made up BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL.
  6. Place assignments in the basket with the name side facing up! NEVER turn papers upside down!

Testing:

  1. Clean & erase everything from your desk before testing.
  2. Don’t talk until every paper is turned in or you will receive a zero.
  3. Only two people at a time should be up turning in their tests.
  4. Place tests name side up in the test basket.
  5. Use ONLY PENCILS to take test or receive a zero.

Writing Lab Notebook Reports

REVISED LAB REPORTS

LAB REPORT RUBRICS

General Instructions:

  1. All labs must be written in pencil and be submitted to the teacher in a spiral notebook.
  2. Always use third person (NO personal pronouns — me, I, you, we, etc.) when writing all parts of a lab report. (USE HE, SHE, THEY, THEIR, THEM, ETC.
  3. The following things should be written clearly in marker on the front cover — “Subject” Lab Notebook, teacher name, student name, period.
  4. Number each page of the spiral notebook in the lower right hand corner.
  5. On Page 1, write the subject, year, student name, class period, and teacher name.
  6. Page 2 should have “Table of Contents” written at the top and two columns, one for “Page” and the other for “Lab Title”.
  7. Begin writing the first lab on page 3 of you notebook. DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF YOUR PAPER!
  8. SKIP A LINE BETWEEN EVERY SECTION!
  9. TITLE and UNDERLINE each section & then begin writing on the NEXT LINE!

Your lab report should be written using the following format: (Be sure to left align & underline headings)

Title (center on top line; on the right of line 2, put date & lab #)
The title should indicate clearly & concisely the subject and scope of the report.

Introduction – 20 points (PARAGRAPH FORM)

  • The introduction should give background information about the experiment.
  • It should also state the purpose of the investigation.
  • This section will be two or more paragraphs in length.

Hypothesis – 20 points (SINGLE SENTENCE)

  • The hypothesis should be a single statement telling the exact thing you are trying to prove in your experiment.
  • NEVER write this statement using “first person”. Write the hypothesis in past tense (third person.)

Materials – 5 points (SINGLE SENTENCE)

  • This section should be written in sentence form and name all of the materials and equipment used.
  • Be sure to include specific amounts and concentrations of chemicals used.
  • Start the statement, “The materials used include _____, _____, etc.”

Methods (Procedure)- 5 points (STEPS; NUMBER)

  • This section includes the step-by-step procedures used.
  • The procedure should be so thorough that someone else could use your listed materials and procedures to conduct the same experiment and get the same results.

Results (Data & Questions) – 20 points

  • All data should be collected and organized in a logical order. Results should be illustrated as charts, tables, graphs, &/or diagrams. All graphs should include a title, the independent variable labeled on the horizontal axis, and the dependent variable labeled on the vertical axis.
  • All lab questions and answers should be included also with this section. ( NUMBER & UNDERLINE the questions & then write, but DON’T UNDERLINE the answers)
  • SKIP ONE LINE BETWEEN EACH QUESTION!

Error Analysis

  • Include any important factors that you think may have actually affected your results.

Discussion and Conclusion – 30 points

Discussion is the most important part of your report, because here, you show that you understand the experiment beyond the simple level of completing it.!!

  • Your conclusion MUST CONTAIN YOUR SUPPORTING DATA!
  • This is where you give a detailed account of what happened in the experiment.
  • Explain all observations and results in your experiment.
  • Analyze and interpret why these results were obtained.
  • Be sure to tell the significance or meaning of the results.
  • Restate the original hypothesis and explain whether the experiment succeeded. If the hypothesis was not correct, you should analyze why the results were not as predicted.
  • Explain experimental errors that appear in the results.

QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED & CONCLUSION WRITTEN TO RECEIVE LAB CREDIT!

Additional help with Conclusions

CLICK HERE FOR NOTEBOOK COPY OF WRITING LAB REPORTS

Click here for Notebook paper Layout of Lab