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NATS 101: The Earth and Its Environment |
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Writing Requirements |
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One of the goals of UofA’s general education in the Natural Sciences is to promote writing and speaking skills. To address speaking skills, we will occasionally break into sub-groups of about 5 students to work together on in-class activities. To address writing skills, there will be several writing requirements for the course that are outlined here.
One Side of One Page Reports The object of the one side of one page (1S1P) assignments is to have you read and learn more about material in the textbook or another readily available source.
Periodically during the semester a list of topics will be posted on the 1S1P Report Assignments and Topics link on the class web page. After selecting a topic, but before you actually begin reading, ask yourself what you already know about the subject and try to imagine what you will find in the textbook. As you read about the topic in the textbook create a brief outline. What were the main points, the key concepts or principles? This outline can serve as the foundation for your report. Once you have a relatively clear idea of what you want to say in your report, you may refer back to the textbook for help with filling in any missing details and clearing up any misunderstanding. Your report should be written in your own words; it should be your understanding and explanation of the material. You shouldn’t just “copy and paste” portions of the text into your report or paraphrase the text. Pretend you are writing this for a classmate who is wondering what they will learn if they take this class.
Reports should be prepared on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Typed reports must be double spaced and use 11 pt font or larger. A one side of one page limit will be strictly enforced. Reports may be handwritten, but your writing must be legible and the one page limit will still apply. The one page limit will require that you condense, abridge, and even leave out material covered in the textbook. Try to identify and explain the main points, you don't need to include every detail. In many cases a drawing or figure might be appropriate and might save considerable written explanation (you may refer to figures in the textbook by number rather than trying to reproduce them in your report). Your report will be graded on quality and clarity of writing, organization, and information content. Sample 1S1P report.
Term Report Each student will conduct one of the following three term projects.
1. Experiment Report 2. Scientific Paper Report 3. Book Report
Most of you should expect to perform an Experiment. At the beginning of the semester, I will ask you to request one of the topics outlined below. Then I will assign the experiments based on available resources. In special cases, I will assign either a book or scientific paper. Experiment Title or Topic Report due date (the energy needed to melt ice) #3 Measuring the Solar Irradiance (the energy in sunlight) Mon., Nov 19 #5 Same as #1 Mon., Nov 19
If you opt to do a Scientific Paper or Book Report, I will give you a list to choose from.
Writing Grade You can earn up to 45 points from 1S1P reports. You can earn up to 40 points on your Term Report. To improve your score on 1S1P reports, you can turn in up to 6. (Each is worth about 15 points, depending on the topic). To improve your score on Term Reports, I will allow you to revise and resubmit the original report after being graded once. Your final writing grade (which is weighted exactly as one quiz) will be:
% grade = 100% x (report grade + 1S1P points) 80 |
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Section 33: Introduction to Weather and Climate Instructor: Prof. William C. Conant |
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MWF 1:00-1:50 PM |