Biology
Write It Up
Preparing Formal Lab Reports
About this Lesson
This lesson provides students with the opportunity to become familiar with the process of writing
up a formal lab report.
This lesson is included in the Biology Module 5.
Objectives
Students will:
 Become familiar with the process of writing up a formal lab report.
Common Core State Standards for Science Content
LTF Science lessons will be aligned with the next generation of multi-state science standards that
are currently in development. These standards are said to be developed around the anchor
document, Framework for K–12 Science Education, which was produced by the National
Research Council. Where applicable, the LTF Science lessons are also aligned to the Common
Core Standards for Mathematical Content as well as the Common Core Literacy Standards for
Science and Technical Subjects.
Code
Standard
(LITERACY)
RST.9-10.3
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when
carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or
performing technical tasks, attending to special cases
or exceptions defined in the text.
Level of
Thinking
Apply
Depth of
Knowledge
II
Connections to AP*
A formal evaluation of the laboratory notebook is sometimes required by the university before
AP credit is granted.
*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College
Board was not involved in the production of this product.
Materials
For a class of 28 working in pairs
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
T E A C TH EE AR C HP EA RG E S
Level
Biology
Write It Up
Assessments
The following types of formative assessments are embedded in this lesson:
 A sample lab report and a rubric are provided for the student and should be reviewed by the
teacher.
The lab report format presented here is offered as a suggestion or guide. It is highly recommended
that you discuss this topic with the AP Biology teacher as well as other AP science teachers to
develop a coordinated format for use in your classroom.
A lab that generates quantifiable data would be a suitable choice for the first formal lab write-up of
the school year. For example, Seed Germination is an LTF activity that readily lends itself to being
used in conjunction with a formal lab report and is the sample student report given here.
Once you have selected an appropriate lab and decided whether the report should be handwritten
or word-processed, you should set aside some class time to go through a description of each of the
components of the formal lab report. Students should be given a copy of the Lab Report Guidelines
handout as well as the grading rubric. Transparencies of the Lab Report Guidelines, Sample
Student Report, and grading rubric can be used to give the student clear explanations and an
example of how their report should appear.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
P A G E S
You will need to decide whether you want the report handwritten or word-processed. The
advantages of having the students hand write the reports are that the handwritten format can be
used to show student original work, handwritten reports are less easily shared and there is no
financial equity involved in using pen and paper. Word-processed reports have the advantages of
being easier to read and allowing for the inclusion of computer generated graphs of the data.
T E A C H E R
Teaching Suggestions
First year biology students in a course that is preparing them for success in AP Biology should be
expected to prepare a formal report on occasion. Formal lab reports provide an opportunity for
students to organize their thoughts and communicate them to others. Additionally, through the
formal report the student is required to present data in tables and graphs as well as demonstrate the
ability to formulate and test a hypothesis. These skills will be useful to the students in all future AP
courses.
Write It Up
Formal Lab Report Guidelines
Prepare a written report of your experiment which includes the section titles listed below. These
section titles should be used to label each section of your report.
I. Introduction
II. Hypothesis
III. Materials and Procedures
IV. Data Collection/Analysis
V. Conclusions
The following information should be included in each section of the lab report.
I. Introduction − In this section of the report you should give the reader background
information that will help them understand the experiment that you have conducted.
Important terms should be defined in the section. Additionally the purpose of the lab should
be clearly stated in the introduction.
II. Hypothesis − This relatively short section should include a testable hypothesis written in
an if/then format.
III. Materials − A complete listing of the materials and supplies that were used to conduct the
experiment should be included in this portion of the report.
IV. Procedures − In this section of the report you should present the exact steps that were
followed in your experiment. Clearly identify the control, variables and the measurement
techniques used.
V.
Data Collection/Analysis − All of the data that was collected during the experiment should
be presented in a data table or tables. Additionally, a graph of the data should be included
in this section. Make sure that the graph is appropriately titled and labeled with correct
measurements and units. Include a legend or a key.
VI. Conclusions − This portion of the report is used to clearly explain whether the results
support or refute the hypothesis being tested.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
Write It Up
REPORT ITEM
Introduction
Background information
Purpose of the experiment
POSSIBLE
POINTS
(15)
10
5
Hypothesis (if-then)
Written in if-then format
Testable
(10)
5
5
Materials
Materials listed
(5)
5
Procedures
Procedures stated clearly
Clearly stated measurement
procedure
Control present
Multiple replicates
(15)
5
5
Data Table (design)
Organized
Readable
Complete
(15)
5
5
5
Graph
Title
Axis labels
Key/legend
Data plotted correctly
(15)
3
4
3
5
Conclusion
Summarizes results
Explains implications
Evaluates errors
Recommends improvement
(20)
5
5
5
5
Student answer page (rough draft) attached
(5)
TOTAL POINTS
EARNED
POINTS/comments
3
2
(100)
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
Write It Up
SAMPLE STUDENT REPORT:
The following is a sample student report submitted for Experiment #3 Seed Germination.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
Write It Up
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
Write It Up
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
Write It Up
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.