Advanced Science Guidelines
In addition to the curriculum requirements for 9th grade science, as a member of the Advanced Science class, you will also have the following assessments to complete:
q Read scientific articles each unit that relate to the unit and delve deeper into the subject material
q Outline each article
q Respond to discussion questions posted on a class blog and comment on others’ responses
q Take a quiz on each article
q Conduct further research for one unit article and present findings to the class using PowerPoint
q The advanced portion of each marking period will count for 60 points of the marking period grade and the points will be split between formative assessments and summative assessments.
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Article Presentations:
Partners and Units will be selected at the beginning of the school year. At the beginning of your assigned unit, your group will select an article to read, develop discussion questions from, and conduct further research on. The articles can be found on your teacher’s website. You also have the option of finding your own scientific article if you prefer, but the article must be approved by your teacher.
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Article Dates: (These are the approximate dates for the articles)
Marking Period 1
· Geology Article 1: Early September to Early October
· Geology Article 2: Early October to Early November
Marking Period 2
· Oceanography & Climate Article 1: Mid-November to Mid-December
· Oceanography & Climate Article 2: Mid-December to Late January
Marking Period 3
· Evolution Article: Late January to Late February
· Paleontology Article: Late February to Late March
Marking Period 4
· Botany Article: Early April to Late April
· Ecology and Environment Article: Late April to Late May
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Article Timeline: (This time line occurs twice a marking period.)
Week 1
· Presenters – Group selects from a bank of articles (each approximately 4-5 pages in length); OR find their own scientific article. Teacher needs to approve selected article.
Week 2
(First Half of Week)
· Bloggers – Read selected article posted on teacher website and OUTLINE the article; at the bottom of the outline include questions you have about the article (worth 4 pts)
· Presenters – The group will split the article up and provide an informal overview of the article to the class discussing the main topics of article. The presenters will also answer questions about the article from the bloggers.
· Teacher – After class discussion on article, explain how article connects to unit.
· Bloggers – That night re-read article and fix outline if needed to prepare for quiz.
(Second Half of the Week)
· Presenters – Each group member creates 3 to 4 open-ended discussion questions for approval along with ideas for further research
· Teacher & Presenters - Choose the best open-ended discussion questions from the groups compiled list to fit the point values (total of 15 pts - # of questions may vary by unit)
· Bloggers – Take 5-point article quiz using their outline (presenters do not take quiz)
· Presenters & Bloggers – Class discusses possible areas for further research by the presenters (group presents their ideas and the class suggests their ideas)
Week 3
· Presenters – Each presenter selects a “further research” topic, gets approval from teacher, conducts research from at least 2 sources, and creates their own presentation (usually if PowerPoint format, but other presentation formats are acceptable)
· Teacher - Posts discussion questions at beginning of the week. Meet with groups to make sure they are on target with their presentation (no overlap of information between members or article)
· Bloggers - Students have about 3 to 5 days to respond to posted discussion questions on blog (worth 15 pts)
· Teacher - Has to end of week 4 to approve and post responses; responses are graded by teacher
Week 4
· Presenters – Present their individual research – using PowerPoint (or other format)
· Bloggers – peer review during presentation (includes 1 thing learned, 1 question, 1 piece of feedback + or -) and discuss feedback after presentation
· Teacher – By end of week the teacher will approve and post responses
Week 5
· Presenters – Between the group they must comment on every student’s discussion question responses
· Bloggers - All students comment on 2 different discussion responses (selected randomly in class) during first part of week. By the end of the week read over comments addressed to your responses and respond to two of the comments with a sentence or more to prove that you have read them.
· Teacher – Checks / Grades all posts for the discussion questions.
· Presenters for NEXT article - Start next groups’ article selection (SEE Week 1)
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Grading: (The following occurs twice a marking period for a total of 60 pts)
Presenter Points (30 pts)
· No Article Quiz or Outline required.
· Each group member create 3 to 4 article discussion questions or more.
· 10 pts (formative) – Equally split the students in class up among the presenters. Read your assigned students’ discussion question responses on the blog and provide a comment to each assigned student on at least TWO of their discussion question responses. Comments on at least TWO of the discussion question responses need to provide depth, insight and opinion, explain why you agree or disagree, and provide constructive feedback (create a dialogue).
· 20 pts (summative) - Presentation (graded individually for each presenter):
o Additional research is relevant, thoroughly connected to the article, and original (do not repeat information from article or summarize it) – 3 pts
o Additional research provides depth and understanding into the topic – 5 pts
o Presentation is, organized (clear intro, in-depth body of new research, and concise conclusion) and neat, easy to read with a balance of visuals and information - 5 pts
o Presentation visuals enhance the presentation by being explained and supporting the research topic– 3 pts
o Bibliography has a minimum of 2 sources and is in correct format – 2 pts
o Presentation skills (eye contact, well-rehearsed, speaks clearly) – 2 pts
Blogger Points (30 pts)
· 4 pts (formative) - Create an outline of the article; include possible research ideas at the end of the outline
· 5 pts (summative) – Article quiz (can use outline – cannot use the article)
· 15 pts (summative) - Respond to ALL discussion questions (pts may vary by question). Be sure to demonstrate your depth in understanding the article
· 4 pts (formative) – Provide comments to discussion question responses to TWO students (randomly selected during class). Comment on at least TWO of the discussion question responses for each of the two selected students (ex: comment on #1 & #3 for Student A’s responses AND comment on #2 & #3 for Student B’s responses). Comments need to provide depth, insight and opinion, explain why you agree or disagree, and provide constructive feedback (create a dialogue).
· 2 pts (formative) – Read over comments addressed to your responses and respond to at least TWO of the comments with a sentence or more to prove that you have read them.