How to write a “Formal” Lab Report In biology, you ... - nnhsbergbio

Sample Answers to Worm Lab
Data Table
Percent Seawater Weight (g) Pulse (bpm) Observations of Behavior
100 2.78 14 Swimming around the bowl; rolling over on its back and
then flipping around; no pinchers showing; turning
around when poked with a pencil; quick movement
75 3.4 13 Squirming a lot when first placed in new solution, then
slowing down; no pinchers showing; still moving quite a
bit; responds to a poke with a pencil.
50 3.56 11 Not happy when placed in new solution; showing its
pinchers; movement starts to slow down; its response
time to pencil is very poor
25 4.1 7 Pinchers showing more than once; mouth opening and
closing; lifting head out of water; slower movements;
stretching out its body and not curling up; no longer
responding to a gentle poke by a pencil
0 5.6 4 Pincers out; stretched out; no response to poke, looks
dead; no voluntary movement
Class Data; generally the same as my group’s data shown above
Question: What is the relationship between the percent seawater and the
worm’s pulse. Give a reason for this relationship.
Very Poor Answer: “As one goes up, the other goes down. Its pulse goes down
because it started at 14 and ended at 4.”
What is wrong with this answer
Does not restate the question as a statement.
Uses pronouns without identifying what they are in the beginning.
What is “one”, the “other”, or “its”
Confuses the data as a reason or an explanation.
Does not use units for the quantitative data.
Very Good Answer: “As the percent seawater decreased, the worm’s pulse also
decreased as shown by an overall drop from 14 bpm to only 4 bpm at the end
(See Data Table). One possible reason for the decrease in pulse is the fact that
the worm is under stress in its new environment. In order to maintain
homeostasis, the worm lowers its pulse and becomes less active to reserve its
energy.”
What is right with this answer
Everything. (See tips from previous page.)