This chemistry lab was a bust

[TheApprentice]

So, if your dc was doing a chemistry lab and an important vial spilled, contents no longer available and the lab basically a bust, what grade would you give for the lab? The spill was an accident, not carelessness.

 

I allowed him to look at the teacher's manual for the lab, essentially making it a virtual lab, so that he could see what was suppose to happen.

 

 

[regentrude]

I require labs to be completed, but do not give individual grades for the lab.

In your case:

I would require him to do the theoretical part, and otherwise consider the lab completed to my satisfaction and forget about it. Stuff happens. You could substitute a different lab and grade that if you want. But I would not give any grade for a lab that did not get performed.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't grade individual labs but require them to be done.  I would let him watch the virtual lab and move on.  

[PeterPan]

If you usually grade labs, just drop this one from the averaging.  

[Julie of KY]

I make my students go ahead and write up what happened - just say at this point I spilled everything.

 

If the data can be collected somewhere else (another student or online) I let them document where they go the data and do the calculations with this data.

 

I would ignore this lab or count off maybe 10% in grading. I don't grade individual labs.