Clear and informative writing is an important part of any discipline. Writing also helps develop your critical and analytical thinking skills and helps you to understand new and confusing concepts.  The written work required in this class falls into two categories:

1. Experiment Report
          Observation and measurement are an essential part of scientific study and discovery. Three simple "take home" experiments have been developed for this course.
         At some point during the semester you should check out one of the sets of materials, perform the associated experiment, and write an experiment report. Experiment instructions and a more detailed description of the report format will be distributed with the experiment kits.  You will have an opportunity to revise your original report if you wish to.

 The three experiments and tentative due dates are listed below:

There are always a few people that absolutely refuse to do an experiment, here are a couple of alternatives:
Report on a Scientific Paper

            Not just any scientific paper, but one of three options that I have chosen for you.  You can learn more about this option here.  Scientific Paper reports will be due on Mon., Apr. 2.  Reports can also be turned in early.

Report on a Book
            A limited number of books that touch on weather-related topics are available for checkout (from the class instructor).   A list of titles is available on the class website.  More information on the report format can be found here.  Books reports are due Mon., Apr. 2 (reports can be turned in early).  The expectation here will be that you read an entire book or a significant portion of a book (so don't wait until the last minute) and report on what you have learned.  If you decide on this option, you should identify and check out a book at least 3 to 4 weeks before the due date. 

You will be allowed to revise and resubmit your Scientific Paper or Book report just as with the Experiment reports.

NOTE 

            You only need to select one of the three options above (an experiment or a scientific paper or book report, just one, not all three).  If you select the experiment option, you only need to do one of the experiments.  Because of limited amounts of experiment materials and in order to avoid a flood of reports at the end of the semester, students should select a particular experiment (or one of the other options) during the first week or so of class.

2. One Side of One Page Writing Assignments

            The object of the one side of one page (1S1P) assignments is to have you read and learn more about material in some readily accessible source.

            At different times during the semester, topics will be posted on the 1S1P Report Assignments and Topics page.  You will then be able to report on one or two of the topics in each assignment. 
    
            After selecting a topic, but before you begin reading, ask yourself what you already know about the subject and try to imagine what you will find in the reading.  As you read, create a brief outline with the main points, the key concepts and principles in the selection. Use this outline to construct a draft report. Once you have a relatively clear idea of what you want to say in your report, you may refer back to the source material for help 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 source text (or material from other sources) into your report. 

            Reports should be prepared on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Typed reports must be double spaced, use 11 pt font or larger, and must be equal to or less than one side of a page in length.  Reports may be handwritten, but your writing must be legible and the one page limit will still apply (handwritten reports may be single spaced).

            The one page limit will require that you condense, abridge, and even leave out material covered in the reference material.  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). Your report will be graded on quality and clarity of writing, organization, and information content.

Overall Writing Percentage Grade

You may earn up to 40 points on Part 1 (Experiment or Book Report) and up to a maximum of 45 points on Part 2 (1S1P reports). A writing percentage grade will be computed as follows:

                                    % grade = 100% x (report grade + 1S1P points)

                                                                                   80