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WELCOME TO HONORS SCIENCE
INDEPENDENT PROJECT HANDBOOK
9TH – EARTH SCIENCE (BALDWIN)
10TH – BIOLOGY (MURRAY)
11TH – CHEMISTRY (MUHLHAUSER)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Number Content of Page
3 Introduction
4 Deadlines
5 Option 1 Requirements
7 Book List
9 Option 2 Requirements
10 Units & Article Info
11 Rubric – Option #1 A
13 Rubric – Option #2 A
15 Rubric – Option #1 B
17 Rubric – Option #2 B
INTRODUCTION
As part of the Honors Science curriculum, you are required to complete an independent research project. This means that if you do not complete this project you WILL NOT get credit for this course, regardless of your final grade. You may choose an option that better suits your interests. Both options involve reading scientific literature & relating what you have read to the course curriculum. This packet is to be used as a GUIDE – a tool for you to use as a reference.
PROJECT OPTIONS
1) Read & Review an APPROVED selection of science non-fiction (see pages 7-8 for a list of approved works)
o Trimester A Assignment à 3 page summary/reflection
o Trimester B Assignment à 3 page paper connecting content of book to a minimum of 3 units discussed in class.
~ OR ~
2) Find, Read & Review a different current event related to each of the different units covered in the course curriculum (see page 10 for a list of all unit topics to be covered & acceptable article sites)
o Trimester A Assignment à 1 page/article review & connection to class for units 1-5
o Trimester B Assignment à 1 page/article review & connection to class for units 6-10
DEADLINES
**You do NOT have to submit anything prior to the start of class; whether you have Bio A 1st tri or 2nd tri. You may choose to work ahead (either over the summer or when you do not have class)**
**This is a Mandatory requirement & must be completed to receive credit for the course; meeting these deadlines is also prerequisite for a recommendation for Honors Chemistry**
**These deadlines are approximates; actual due dates will be assigned by the teacher when you start the course**
**Assignments are due @ the beginning of class; assignments submitted after the due date will only receive ½ credit. Projects submitted after the trimester will receive 0 points**
Date What is Due
Friday, September 12, 2014 Option Selection Form & Acknowledgment form
Week of November 17th Trimester A Assignment
(Only for students enrolled in class)
Week of March 2nd Trimester A / B Assignment
(Only for students enrolled in class)
Week of May 25th Trimester B Assignment
OPTION #1
Non-fiction Review & Relate
1) Choose a book from the pre-approved list (pages 7/8). You may choose a different book as long as you get it approved by your teacher.
2) Complete the “Selection Form” & submit (this can be done prior to school year so that you may work over the summer).
3) Trimester A Assignment (can be submitted any time prior to deadline)
Ø 3 page (minimum) review of book that includes the following information:
ü Summary of the book; what was it about
ü Credibility of book & author
ü What is your opinion of topic; has it changed
ü Provide at least 2 things that you learned
ü What is your lasting impression of this topic
ü Would you recommend reading this book
ü Provide at least 2 direct quotations within review
Ø Formatting
ü Title Page
q Centered à Name of book
q Bottom Right à Name/class info
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
ü APA Format
q Font/Size – Times (12)
q Double space
q No extra spacing between paragraphs
q 1” margins
q Paragraph form
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
q Quotations:
§ Put “quotation marks” around quote
§ Cite the quote (Author Name, pg #)
OPTION #1 (cont.)
Non-fiction Review & Relate
4) Trimester B Assignment –
Ø 3 page (minimum) paper that relates the book to the course curriculum. (See pg 10 for a list of all units/topics)
ü Very brief review of book content
ü Relate the book to a minimum of 3 different units covered in class (include 1 unit per trimester)
ü Explain how the subjects discussed in the book are directly related to the class content
ü Refer to specific labs/activities in your discussion
ü Provide at least 2 direct quotations within paper
Ø Formatting
ü Title Page
q Centered à Name of book
q Bottom Right à Name/class info
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
ü APA Format
q Font/Size – Times (12)
q Double space
q No extra spaces between paragraphs
q 1” margins
q Paragraph form
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
q Quotations:
§ Put “quotation marks” around quote
§ Cite the quote (Author Name, pg #)
APPROVED BOOK LIST
** Additional books must be approved before you purchase/begin project **
Ø At the Water’s Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea
o by Carl Zimmer
o Summary: The awesome journey of life's transformation from the first microbes 4 billion years ago to Homo sapiens today. Magnificent and bizarre, it is the story of how we got here, what we left behind, and what we brought with us.
Ø The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
o by Rebecca Skloot
o Summary: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa.Her cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.
Ø Hot Zone
o by Richard Preston
o Summary: A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.The Hot Zonetells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race.
Ø The Demon in the Freezer
o by Richard Preston
o Summary: InThe Demon in the Freezer, Richard Preston takes us into the heart of Usamriid, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the epicenter of national biodefense.
Ø Virus X: Tracking the New Killer Plagues
o by Frank Ryan
o Summary: The author, a renowned authority on diseases, presents a radical theory about the origin of deadly microbes in a book that takes us into the "hot zones" of today's most dangerous viral outbreaks, then into the research labs & hospitals where doctors & scientists are risking their lives trying to control them.
Ø Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
o by Mary Roach
o Summary: Stiffis an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.
Ø The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
o by Sam Kean
o Summary: In The Violinist’s Thumb, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs.
Ø Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You: A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World
o by Dan Riskin
o Summary: It may be a wonderful world, but as Dan Riskin, it’s also a dangerous, disturbing, and disgusting one. At every turn, it seems, living things are trying to eat us, poison us, use our bodies as their homes, or have us spread their eggs. InMother Nature Is Trying to Kill You, Riskin is our guide through the natural world at its most gloriously ruthless.
Ø The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance
o by David Epstein
o Summary: The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?
Ø Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
o by Neil Shubin
o Summary: Why do we look the way we do? Neil Shubin tells the story of our bodies as you've never heard it before. By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria.
Ø The Coming Plague: Newly emerging disease in a world out of balance
o By Laurie Garrett
o Summary: Unpurified drinking water. Improper use of antibiotics. Local warfare. Massive refugee migration. Changing social and environmental conditions around the world have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases. Laurie Garrett takes you on a fifty-year journey through the world's battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of newly discovered diseases and epidemics.
Ø Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet
o By Oliver Morton
o Summary: A fascinating, lively, profound look at photosynthesis, nature's greatest miracle. From the physics, chemistry, and cellular biology that make photosynthesis possible, to the quirky and competitive scientists who first discovered the beautifully honed mechanisms of photosynthesis, to the modern energy crisis we face today.
OPTION #2
CURRENT EVENTS RELATED TO CLASS
1) Find a separate current event that pertains to each unit covered over the course of the class – see pg 10 for a list of all units.
2) Each current event must meet the following criteria:
Ø Must come from a credible science news source (see pg 10)
Ø Must be dated within 12 months of deadline
Ø Must be at least 1 page in length
Ø Articles must be printed w/ source information included
3) Trimester Assignments
Ø Find/print/read 5 current events – 1 for each unit
Ø Provide a 1 page (minimum) write-up for each article that includes:
ü Summary of the article; what was it about
ü Discuss how the article directly relates to our unit of study (labs/activities relate)
ü What is your lasting impression of this topic
Ø Formatting
ü Title Page
q Title – Current Events in Biology
q Name/class info
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
ü APA Format
q Font/Size – Times (12)
q Double space
q No extra spaces between paragraphs
q 1” margins
q Paragraph form
q Running head (1 word from title) w/ page #’s
UNIT TOPICS
Each trimester you will need 1 article from each of the 5 big units, but you are not limited to the subtopics listed under each unit. These are merely suggestions to help guide you.
BIO A BIO B
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Ø Life & Experimentation
o Current scientific research
o Animal testing in research
o Classification/new species
Ø Biochemistry
o Polymers (synthetic/natural)
o Fad diets & obesity
o Steroids & Supplements
Ø Cells
o Cell research
o Bacteria
Ø Cellular Division
o Cancer (causes/new treatment)
o Repro rates (stem/bacteria)
Ø Biosynthesis
o Photosynthesis –crop yields
o Respiration – VO2 maxing
o Fermentation – industrial uses
Ø DNA
o DNA profiles (personal)
o Mutations & Diseases
Ø Genetics
o Inheritance patterns
o Genetic Testing & Counseling
Ø Biotechnology
o Gene Therapy Cloning
o GMO’s (genetic modified)
o Forensics
Ø Evolution
o Natural selection
o Adaptations – “super bugs”
o Pandemics – “swine/avian flu”
Ø Ecology
o Human population rates
o Pollution à human impact
o Extinct/endangered species
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ACCEPTABLE SCIENCE NEWS SITES
All of your articles must come from credible scientific news sources. All of the following sources provide articles that meet the criteria for this project.
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ü Science News for Students (student.societyforscience.org)
ü Inside Science (www.insidescience.org)
ü Science News (www.sciencenews.org)
ü Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com)
ü Science (news.sciencemag.org)
Name: ______Due Date: ______
On Time Late: _____ (date submitted)
TRIMESTER A OPTION #1 RUBRIC
Checklist – (missing à 0 pts ; present à 1 pt)
____ Original Green rubric packet submitted
____ Name is written on the top of rubric for Tri A
____ Title Page
____ Title centered
____ Name/Class bottom right
____ Running head on title page
____ Running head abbreviated word from title
____ Page # in header
____ Paper written in APA format
____ Font Times New Roman
____ Size 12
____ Paragraph form
____ Double spacing
____ No extra spacing between paragraphs
____ 1” margins on all sides
____ Running head on all pages
____ Page numbers on pages
____ Includes 2 quotations
____ Quotations are properly cited
____ 3 full pages in length
____ / 20 points
TRIMESTER A OPTION #1 RUBRIC
0 = ungradeable (items not included)
1 = F – unacceptable (not meet expectations - missing integral items or info)
2 = D - fair (below basic expectations - room for improvement)
3 = C - average (meets basic expectations – meets minimum requirements)
4 = B - good (above basic expectations – few errors or room for improvement)
5 = A - exceptional (above & beyond requirements & expectations, no errors)
Writing Skills (5 points/item)
____ Sentence structure – no fragments or run-ons, mult. paragraphs
____ Spelling & Grammar (proofreading evident – limited/no errors)
____ Higher order thinking – use scientific language & vocabulary