Chemistry 5 – Lab
By : Elizabeth Wang, Fall 2011 Student
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Understand that this is a 5 unit class and you need to put work into it to get an A.
Some methods might work better for you than others, try to learn and figure out which method
works best for you. ☺
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Understand the material in lecture.
o Understand it early in order to decrease confusion later.
o This is important both in lecture and in lab. Don’t get distracted by the easy material
in the beginning of the semester, but make sure you get the basic concepts DOWN
because the class is fast pace.
Read the labs before you come to lab
o Underline key material.
Take notes of what the instructor talks about in class.
o Take notes of what the instructor shows on the projector.
o Look on the instructor’s website for additional information.
o This information will be important, not only for your lab, but also for your final.
If you don’t understand what you’re doing in lab…
o Ask the lab instructor, don’t sit around, wondering what you should do.
Do the pre-lab and post-lab before you come to class, if you can.
o You’ll be working with a partner; don’t let your partner down!
o Some of the material might be confusing if you look at it before hand, however, if you
at least look at it and still have questions after the lab, ask your lab instructor.
o Make sure to write down as much detail as possible while you’re doing the labs so,
not only will it make it easier for the teacher to grade your work, but it will also make
it easier for you to follow your own work before the final.
Read the questions and understand what they are asking.
o Underline key words.
If you don’t understand what you’re doing or are unsure on your pre/post-lab…
o Take a break and come back to see if you understand it, if not…
o Ask your lab instructor.
o Ask the lecture teacher.
o Ask your partner.
o Ask another classmate.
* Don’t sit there and wait until the night before the lab is due. Do the lab early and
figure out what you don’t understand early.
* Don’t always rely on your partner. Sometimes he or she might not have the right
material and in the end, you’re not learning anything by coping off of the person. In the
end, you’re harming yourself before the final because then you won’t understand how
you will get the answer if you didn’t do it yourself!
* If you get a question wrong, don’t ignore it and move on, but look at it and think about
what you did wrong. Or ask the teacher. You will need this for the final.
Sig figs matter! Understand them early to prevent error!
o Understand sig figs before you turn in your first lab.
Chemistry 5 – Lab
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By : Elizabeth Wang, Fall 2011 Student
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Understand each lab before you move onto the next one.
o Lab final is cumulative!
o Understanding the lab material can also help in understanding the lecture material.
Lab final
o By understanding the material while you’re doing it, it will create less confusion when
you study for the final.
o Start studying at least two weeks before the lab final.
o Re-due your labs, at least one a day. Pace yourself.
o Go down the study guide and highlight materials that you know and write down the
materials that you don’t.
o Ask someone for help if you don’t know the answer to a question.
o Do the practice questions if the teacher provides them.
o When studying for finals, don’t focus too much on lecture/lab final and wait till the
last minute to study the other. Try to distribute your time evenly between the two.
o During the final
Underline key points.
If you don’t understand what a question is asking, come back to it later.
If you’re done with the final and have extra time, go back and review your
answers.
Enjoy chemistry
o Don’t stress if you miss a point or two. Instead, move onto the next lab and try your
best on that one.
o Basic chemistry is not hard. There are just multiple concepts that you need to learn
and get down before you move onto something else. The class moves fast and it is
difficult to lag behind. However, by keeping up with the material, it allows you to not
only understand the material, but also to retain more during the final. ☺
From: Elizabeth Wang [***@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 1:54 PM
To: Toofan, Jahansooz
Subject: Chem 5 - Lab how to study
CH 5 for
Nurses