Science Projects/Record Keeping examples

[Courtney]

I was wondering if anyone in the group could give me a hand with book ideas. We're working on several kits at work, one of which is an Electricity/science kit. One of the projects that is done with this kit is that the students keep a log of their work.

Does anyone know of any books (probably science-related) that give examples of logs, labs, and recording your work? Preferably with a scientific bent rather than the 'Dear Canada' series, or 'Dear Diary' type books.
Science project books would probably be good, but fiction would as well.

Thanks so much!

[Kristina]

I didn't have one to check, but maybe one in the Franny K. Stein series does.

Lunch Walks Among Us

[Kristina]

This one, too:


Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You

[Lou]

This website summarizes the basics of keeping a lab notebook. It's a chemistry site so I don't know how it might compare to physics, although I expect the spirit of the process is the same. Specifically "I have taken every possible precaution to ensure this is reproducible, the data is complete, and the contents cannot be falsified."

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemist...

As to style, the two column format with a procedure written beforehand is probably the easiest to start with:

Divide the page into two columns.

Write the procedure you are going to follow on the left, leaving a good amount of space between tasks. This ensures that you have read the material beforehand, among other things. You need enough room to fit data for each step on the right hand side for each step. I'd leave more space than you think you need.

Write data and observations in the right column as you go. If you change the procedure, write down how in the right hand column as well.

The procedure should be detailed enough that another person can do the lab correctly without any other instructions.


Once you get more experienced, you can fiddle with the style somewhat. I write my procedure real time, for instance.


If you would like, I can email you scan of a couple pages of my student lab notebooks. Keep in mind they are STUDENT notebooks, and will contain some errors in record keeping (though I tend to do fairly well overall).

[Courtney]

Kristina Marie wrote: "I didn't have one to check, but maybe one in the Franny K. Stein series does.

Lunch Walks Among Us"

I asked on the book page - they're more novel-format, apparently. Thanks, though!

[Courtney]

Kristina Marie wrote: "This one, too:


Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You"

This one looks really cool, but I think it looks more for if it were a kit on biology - it reminds me of the old books with drawings of flowers, with notations around. Would be a cool bio project!

[[deleted user]]

Maybe some of the Phineas L Maguire books?
Phineas L. MacGuire . . . Gets Cooking! is the one on my list.

[Courtney]

Lou wrote: "This website summarizes the basics of keeping a lab notebook. It's a chemistry site so I don't know how it might compare to physics, although I expect the spirit of the process is the same. Specifi..."

Hi Lou - thanks so much! That site looks really helpful for the guidelines, though we might have to rephrase things a bit (the kit is going to be for 6th graders).
We should be able to make up instructions from it, I think.

Lou wrote: If you would like, I can email you scan of a couple pages of my student lab notebooks. Keep in mind they are STUDENT notebooks, and will contain some errors in record keeping (though I tend to do fairly well overall).

If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate the examples. I'm sure they'd be very useful!

Thanks so much! :D

[Courtney]

Raevyn wrote: "Maybe some of the Phineas L Maguire books?
Phineas L. MacGuire . . . Gets Cooking! is the one on my list."

Thanks, Raevyn! Those ones look like they're good as well. The cookbook one does look interesting - I think I'll have to add it myself!

[Lou]

I figured you'd need to rephrase, but it will at least be from a more-or-less original source. That way you get to decide how it deviates from the real thing, and by how much.

If you PM me an email address, I'll scan a few pages and send them.

[Hillary]

Fiction - The Rosie Project. The main character is doing his own project, finding a wife, in a very scientific way. Simultaneously he is trying to help Rosie find her biological father in a very scientific way.

[Courtney]

Hillary wrote: "Fiction - The Rosie Project. The main character is doing his own project, finding a wife, in a very scientific way. Simultaneously he is trying to help Rosie find her biological fat..."

Sounds like an interesting plot.
It looks like the book is adult, or at least YA reading level, though. This kit will be for sixth graders.