Suggested Soft Landings Strategies for
Advanced Placement Science
Compiled & Edited by:
Robert Summers, A+ College Ready Lead Science Teacher
Doris Chandler, Jefferson County Schools Lead ScienceTeacher
Tammy Dunn, Jefferson County Schools Secondary Science Supervisor
Major Grades-65%
Unit Exams: There should be 3 unit exams in a 9 week grading period. Exams should mimic the AP exam; therefore,
they should be graded like an AP exam--one full point GIVEN for correct multiple-choice answers and one-quarter point
deducted for each incorrect answer. The maximum number of multiple choice questions on a unit exam for AP Biology is
50; AP Chemistry 38, and AP Physics 35. When the exam contains a free-response portion, the number of questions
should be as follows: 1) Two 10 point essays for AP Bio; 2) 3 questions for AP Chemistry (comprised of problems and/or
essays as appropriate); and 3) 3to 4 problems for AP Physics). For those not on the block or modified block schedule,
two class periods will be needed. One class period will be devoted to the multiple choice questions and the other class
period to the free response questions. Exams should be scaled according to AP standards. This means that if a student
earns 75% of the multiple choice points and 50% of the free-response points, the student should receive a 100. If they
exceed those expectations, then the student is on pace to earn a 5 on the AP Exam and can earn more than a 100 for that
unit exam grade. A spreadsheet with the formulas for this type of computation is available from the lead teacher. Unit
exams should account for NO MORE THAN 40% of the overall 9 week grade.
Chapter/Concept Assessments: Because many units entail a large quantity of material, it is recommended that students
be given more frequent assessments that allow BOTH the teacher and student to gauge student comprehension of major
concepts. These assessments SHOULD NOT count as many points as the unit exams, but can be included in the “major
grade” category.
Lab Reports*(Lab Tests): There should be at least 2-3 of these given each nine weeks. A possible “recipe” for lab
reports can be found on the AP Biology CD. It may be adapted to all sciences. A rubric for grading is also provided. Lab
report/tests should account for 25% of the overall 9 weeks grade. Student lab reports may be done individually or as a
group. The teacher must decide based on the type of lab done by the students.
*An AP Chemistry Lab Report rubric is included along with a brief description of how to write a lab report. This material
was created by Rene’ McCormick. A few minor changes have been made.
Other Grades – 35%
Quizzes: There should be 9 -20 quizzes given each nine weeks. These may be anything from vocabulary terms,
worksheets, physical activities, presentations of current event topics related to science, homework assignments, etc.
Quizzes should account for NO MORE THAN 25% of the 9 weeks grade. Students may be allowed to use their notes
(taking notes represents effort beyond merely reading the text) when quizzed on the previous night’s reading. A typical
did you read it quiz might include five questions on vocabulary (suggestion--paraphrase the definition to make the student
THINK about it). The teacher may also do a spot check of homework or class work and occasionally give students an
“effort” grade. For example, if students are assigned four problems for homework, they get a homework grade of 10/10 if
they WORKED #3. This “spot check” does not require the teacher to take up anything to grade but holds students
accountable for doing their homework. If a Classroom Performance System (CPS) or other type of signal device is
available, teachers can give “clicker quizzes” to allow the students immediate feedback on their responses. These systems
also do the grading for the teacher.
Finally, it is a good idea to give an AP free-response question as a quiz. Grade the quiz by AP standards (a student
earning 50% of the free-response points earns a 100 in the grade book). Students performing beyond this expectation are
performing at a level on pace with earning a 5 on the AP Exam. Thus these students may earn grades above a 100.
Artistic or Technology Projects*: ONE of these may be assigned each 9 week grading period. The project should
encompass all content discussed during this time. Student work should give evidence of some research and include an
artistic display and a brief report (no more than one typed page and/or oral report of no more than 5 minutes) or some kind
of technological presentation. Projects can be presented as group projects, to reduce the volume of grading for the
teacher. The artistic project grade could be broken down as follows: 50% artistic display, 25% oral report, 25% written
report. The whole project should be counted as ONE grade and could account for up to 10% of the 9 weeks grade.
SCIENCE IS MORE THAN READING THE TEXTBOOK AND TAKING TESTS.
*If the AP teacher (especially AP Chemistry and AP Physics) is behind in their pacing, then this grade component
may be omitted.
It may take several years for a teacher to perfect percentages to suit their students’ needs. If these percentages are
followed, it is difficult, yet not impossible, for students to fail. With hard work on the part of the student, an A is
attainable.
AP BIOLOGY LABORATORY WRITE-UP PROCEDURE
I. LAB OR EXPERIMENT NAME- Be creative; but logical. Sometimes I reward really good titles with an extra
point or two.
II. INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP MEMBERS NAMES- If it is group members, they must be
listed in alphabetical order. There must also be an asterisk next to the person’s name who actually wrote the lab writeup for the group.
III. DATE OF EXPERIMENT- Put the date as the day you actually performed the experiment; not the date you turn in
the write-up.
IV. TEACHER’S NAME AND CLASS PERIOD(S) - Self-explanatory
V. LIST OF MATERIALS AND QUANTITIES USED- You must list everything you used in
performing the experiment, including the apparatus. If you used a liquid, powder, or other material you must give the
total volume, mass, or other scientific measurement consumed for the entire experiment. (115 ml 1m naoh)
VI.EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE- You must re-write the experiment in your own words. You must be detailed
enough in your wording so that someone can perform the experiment exactly like you performed it. It must be in list
format for each step.
VII. PURPOSE- You must give a brief statement, one or two sentences, about what the purpose of the whole
laboratory is trying to convey to your understanding of a topic. There is one unifying theme for each lab.
VIII. HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT- you must write one sentence, in if…then… form, that gives your educated guess
for the outcome of the whole experiment.
i.e. If enzymes act as biological catalysts during a chemical reaction; then an increase in the rate of the reaction should
be observed
The IF part is your question you hope to answer.
The THEN part is your educated guess about what the outcome of the experiment will be.
IX. EXPERIMENTAL DATA AND NOTES- This is any observation you witnessed while actually performing the
experiment. This also includes data tables or pictures.
X. GRAPHS OR CALCULATIONS - These are items that are done after the experiment when you have all your data
and observations. Make sure you have a proper title, labeling, units, and spacing when constructing a graph or chart!
XI.CONCLUSION (Has 5 Parts)Part 1: Validity statement about the hypothesis.
Part 2: Detailed explanation of the results from the experiment from each part and overall.
Part 3: An explanation for any possible sources of error.
Part 4: Ideas for ways to correct your errors
Part 5: Ideas for expanding or furthering this experiment in terms of knowledge gained.
LABORATORY WRITE-UP GRADE DISTRIBUTION SHEET
LAB PART
POSSIBLE POINTS
POINTS EARNED
I. TITLE
12
_______
II. NAME(S)
123
_______
III. DATE
1
_______
IV. TEACER’S NAME/PERIOD(S)
12
_______
V. LIST OF MATERIALS
1234567
_______
VI. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
1234567
_______
VII. PURPOSE STATEMENT
12345678
_______
VIII. HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
_______
IX. EXPERIMENTAL DATA/ NOTES
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20_______
X. GRAPHS/ CALCULATIONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
_______
XI. CONCLUSION PART 1
12
_______
PART 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
_______
PART 3
123
_______
PART 4
123
_______
PART 5
1234567
_______
TOTAL:
COMMENTS:
_______
AP* CHEMISTRY LAB NOTEBOOK
GRADING FORM
NAME:___________________________
PERIOD:__________
Experiment #_______________
1) Neatness
(5)_______________
2) Organization
(5)_______________
3) Following instructions
Ink, right side of page
Marked out mistakes, etc.
(5)_______________
4) Table of Contents (current?)
(5)_______________
5) Heading: title, date, exp. Number
(5)_______________
6) Purpose and Procedure
(10)_______________
7) Data
(10)_______________
8) Observations
(10)_______________
9) Results/Questions
(20)_______________
10) Conclusions
(20)_______________
11) Sources of Error
(5)________________
Total Points
________________
Comments:
Points are noted in parenthesis and may be adjusted as needed. Teacher may adapt this rubric to their particular
needs.
AP CHEMISTRY LAB REPORTS
Parts to a lab report to be included in lab notebook
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Heading: Title of lab, experiment number, date, period, name.
Purpose statement: One to three sentences stating the purpose of the experiment.
Procedure: Rewrite procedure from lab manual condensing yet emphasizing important parts. Keep in
step form & keep in sections A, B, C, etc. Write cautions and warnings in bold print.
Data: Data tables should be placed in this section. These should be like the report sheet provided in the
manual (if present).
Observations: These should be statements of qualitative, observed fact. Do not put ridiculous stuff.
Make every effort to impress me. Pretend that your report will be placed in the hands of a scientist, who
received the Nobel Peace Prize, to be read.
Results: ]In this section you will record final answers, identification of unknown, calculated values, and
[VERY IMPORTANT] relative error (other appropriate results may be included depending on the type
of lab).
Conclusion: This is where you draw conclusions based on results. Always refer back to the purpose
and make that a part of your conclusions. This is NOT a place to express your opinion or observations
of the lab. The conclusion should express results in harmony with the purpose and relative error.
LAB REPORT GRADE*:
67% lab notebook
33% prelabs
Prelab assignment--will be due the day that lab is scheduled to begin. Also due on that day will be the prelab
write-up in your lab notebook. (Prelab write-up consists of heading, purpose, procedure & preparation of data
tables.) Lab notebooks will be graded after each lab.
All lab material is fair game for major tests!
* suggested percentages