COURSE NOTEBOOK for BIOLOGY

All students are required to maintain a three-ring binder that is devoted specifically to this class. These are available in the bookstore. All of your work in class is to be recorded in this notebook.

Your notebook is:

• A place to record what you see and do (including mistakes).
• A place to record what you THINK about what you see and do.
• A place to ask QUESTIONS and draw conclusions about your experiences and your results.
• A place to track your feelings and attitudes about your experiences.
• A seedbed of ideas for experiments and creativity.
• A record of your accomplishments during your time in this class.

What should be in your three-ring binder:

Your three-ring binder should be an organized notebook that will serve as a record of all the work you complete for this class.  It should include the following sections, each of which is in chronological order with the most recent entries at the end of each section. Class notes and homework done on your computer, as well as work returned to you by email, should be printed out and put in the appropriate notebook section.

1. Class Notes:  You should have class notes for EVERY DAY of class.  The notes should include the date and the title of the lecture, discussion, activity, or lab exercise.  Everything done in class should be placed in this section, including data collected during lab experiments.
2. Reading Notes:  You should take notes for all assigned readings.  Include the pages of the reading assignment and the date at the top of the reading notes.
3. Handouts:  Throughout the year, you will be given handouts that relate to the material that the course covers.  Keep all of these handouts in your three-ring notebook.
4. Homework Assignments: Although not all of your homework assignments will be submitted for grades, ALL assignments should be completed and included in this section.  Write the date on the top of each assignment so you can place them in chronological order when they are returned to you. 
5. Tests, Quizzes, and Other Assessments:  When your teacher returns a test, quiz, or other assessment, be sure to put it in your notebook.  Your returned work will be very valuable as prepare for other tests.
6. Lab Reports:  All lab reports (or sections of lab reports) and your preliminary drafts should be included in this section.  It is very important to include the drafts and the feedback that you receive (whether from peers, teachers, or parents) in this section, as you can use this to prepare better future reports.

Notebook Evaluation:

• Notebooks, or the work they contain, will be collected and assessed periodically throughout the year. Class notes, reading notes, and organization will be evaluated and points will be given accordingly for each notebook check.
• All work in the notebook should be your own.  If you happen to miss a class, you may copy the class notes from a peer (with their permission) but all other work should be made up by you (reading notes, homework, etc.).
• Anything in the notebook can be evaluated. This might be complex or simple. “Did they take class notes on September 18^th?” and “Are they saving all quizzes and tests?” are two basic questions that might be asked of your work. This can also include a careful evaluation of a particular written homework assignment.
• You are encouraged to correct your own work as assignments are discussed in class. Feel free to make corrections, additions and deletions directly on your work in a different color pen or pencil as class proceeds. If you make these changes before the notebook or homework assignment is turned in, you will receive full credit.
• Some assignments will be given more attention in class or will take more time to do, and thus will be worth more points.
• You will be given points based on the work represented in your notebook. It is, therefore, your responsibility to make sure you know about all of the assigned work and have it completed in your notebook on time.
• Since scientists work in collaborative teams, we will also work in teams. Sharing ideas is of value and encouraged. However, please do not mistake cooperative learning teams as permission to copy each other’s work or plagiarize the work of others. Be a responsible scientist! Not everyone knows or understands what plagiarism is, so if you don’t know, ask! As an example, an uncommon, but totally unacceptable practice for lab reports is this:

1. Two partners do a lab together and collect the same data. [Right! This is fine.]
2. The partners make a data table together, one photocopies it and puts it in his/her notebook, the other puts the original in his/her notebook. [Wrong! Each partner will draft their own table or chart into their notebook or report.]
3. The partners have identical lab report introductions, flow charts, analysis of results, discussion, and conclusions. [Wrong! These lab reports must be in each partner’s own words.]