LIVING SEA:  HOMEWORK

• Every week there will be a homework assignment due on Tuesday.  It will be a write up on an article that I will provide relating to what we are studying in class.  Turning in the Weekly Assignments is vital to success in the class.

• Homework is due at the beginning of the period on the day it is due.  Classwork is due on the day it is assigned.  Late work will receive only half credit.  Once we have taken an exam on the unit of study, NO MORE LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT.  Turn in work on time!

• Extra credit opportunities will be made available throughout the class.  However, students missing more than three assignments do not qualify for extra credit!  Turn in work!  

LIVING SEA:  WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT

Every week you will be required to read and complete a write-up on some kind of science article.  Usually I hand out the article to the class.  The article usually has to do with Marine Science.  You will have one week to complete the write-up.  Weekly Assignments are due on Tuesday of every week.  The next week when you turn in the write-up, I will hand out another article for you to complete.

          The format of your write-up will be the same every time you do it.  Get used to doing it this way.  You will be marked down if it is not done correctly.

Example: You are given an article called “The Arribada: Return of the Sea Turtle” and it talks about the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle on a beach in Costa Rica.  You are to include the Roman Numerals and the words after each in every write-up.

          (Write the title of the article.)

I.                  TITLE:  “The Arribada: Return of the Sea Turtle”

       (List three vocabulary words you do not know and find the definitions in a dictionary.  If you know all the words     already, then find three words that you think others in the class might not know and define them.)

II.             VOCABULARY:

1.        arribada – the Spanish word for “arrival,” refers to the turtles nesting in great numbers

2.       clutch – the number of eggs laid at one time by an organism

3.       poacher – one who steals (turtle) eggs

       (Summarize the article in 5 to 10 complete sentences.)

III.         SUMMARY:  The article talks about the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley Sea turtle in Ostional, Costa Rica.  The turtles come 16 times a year to a certain beach by the thousands.  Conservationists are trying to protect the beach, since sea turtles are endangered species.  However, the local people like to collect the eggs and sell them.  They are very expensive, because it is illegal in most parts of Costa Rica to sell turtle eggs.  The money they make from selling eggs allows the people to only work during the days of the arribada.

       (Give your opinion of the article in 2 to 3 sentences.  Be specific and explain why.)

IV.             OPINION:  I liked the article because it is interesting to read about how the turtle is endangered even though so many are nesting.  I think that people don’t realize how much the things they do effect other animals.  I would love to be a volunteer at a sea turtle research station.

       (What question would you ask the author if you could talk to him about the article?)

V.                 QUESTION:  How do you think the turtles know when to come to the beach?

       (Answer 2 of the questions for critical thinking listed at the end of the article, if there are any.)

VI. CRITICAL THINKING:  1)…..     2)…..

Marine Ecology

Field Research Project

Field Research Journals are due on the first Monday of every month.  You are required to have at least two observation dates recorded for each month.

The research project will be due during the final weeks of the spring semester.  You will be required to write a research paper summarizing your findings and present your data and conclusions to the class.  The project should include the following:

    *  Journal:  (60 points)

    *  Paper:  (100 points)            -typed, 12 pt easy to read font, do not use all capitals

                                                      -follow the format of a professional research paper, include headings for each section:  title page, abstract,

                                                       introduction, study site, methods, data/results, discussion, acknowledgments, and references

                                                      -include photos, drawings, etc. to enhance your research

    *  Presentation:  (40 points)  Presentation should be at least five minutes long.  Provide visuals to enhance your explanation.  Clearly state your purpose, hypothesis, methods, results and analysis.

Total points possible:  200

SDAIE Science

Weekly Assignment

            Every week you will be required to read and complete a write up on some kind of science article.  Usually I hand out the article to the class. The article usually has to do with Physical Science.  You will have one weed to complete the write-up.  The next week when you turn in the write-up, I will hand out another article for you to complete.  Weekly Assignments are due on Tuesday.

            The format of your write-up will be the same every time you do it.  Get used to doing it this way.  You will lose points if it is not done correctly.

This is the format that you should follow:

I.                    TITLE:  Write the title of the article.

II.                  VOCABULARY:  Find three words in the article that you do not understand.  Look them up in the dictionary and write their definitions. If you know all of the words, pick three that you think the rest of the class will not understand, and look them up.

III.                THE FIVE W’S:  Answer the five “w” questions about the article:

WHO:  who is the article about?

WHAT:  what are they doing?

WHEN:  when does it happen?

WHERE:  where does it happen?

WHY:  why does it happen?

IV.               OPINION:  In two or three sentences, tell me what you think about the article.  Tell me why you think it’s great, terrible, or interesting.

V.        QUESTION:   What question do you have after reading the article?  What would you like to know more about?

Always write in complete sentences.  If you have trouble understanding, come talk to me and I’ll help you.