Current Events in Science

For your assigned week, you must select a recent article (within the previous two weeks) from a reputable source that relates directly to the concepts that we are currently studying. You must bring a copy of your article, this form, and your typed summary on the day of your current events presentation. You may use notecards to assist you during the presentation.

Current Event Questions to Focus and Guide Your Commentary

Why does this issue even matter? / What are my thoughts about this issue? /How will this affect society?

What will happen if this problem isn’t solved?

What are the consequences if change isn’t made? Or, what are the consequences (good, bad, or both) of this?

What does this have to do with me and my future?

How does this relate to what we’ve been studying in class? ** Must be included as part of commentary**

Summary Paragraph Rubric- with the exception of the 5 points for the completion of the rough draft from, points below refer to the content of the typed summary.

Component / Criteria / Points Possible / Points Earned
Rough Draft / Rough draft form is completed and attached / 5
Structure / Paper is typed, 12 point font, double spaced, grammatically correct / 5
Topic Sentence / A clear topic sentence is present focusing the content of the paragraph / 5
Concrete Details / Concrete detail/fact (evidence, quote, etc.)included & underlined in article / 5
Concrete detail/fact (evidence, quote, etc.) included & underlined in article / 5
Concrete detail/fact (evidence, quote, etc.) included & underlined in article / 5
Concrete detail/fact (evidence, quote, etc.) included & underlined in article / 5
Concrete detail/fact (evidence, quote, etc.) included & underlined in article / 5
Commentary / Insight and commentary sentence discussing why the issue you have chosen is important/relevant / 5
Insight and commentary sentence discussing why the issue you have chosen is important/relevant / 5
Insight and commentary sentence discussing why the issue you have chosen is important/relevant / 5
Insight and commentary sentence discussing why the issue you have chosen is important/relevant / 5
Closing Sentence / This sentence “ties” the paragraph together and makes it sound finished without being repetitious / 5
Overall Quality / Reflects overall effort, accuracy, and insightfulness of your paragraph / 5
Total / 70

Overall Current Events Score

Component / Criteria / Points Possible / Points Earned
Article / Article published within 2 weeks of due date / 3
Reputable source (if not from a reputable source, it will not be accepted)
(AJC, Science News, Time, Newsweek, US News World Report, etc.) / 3
Hard copy of article provided / 2
Summary / See rubric above for total points earned for this section / 70
Presentation / Adheres to 3-5 minute time limit / 2
Rehearsed—student does not read the typed summary but discusses main points of the summary (5 facts @2 pts each) / 10
Discuss at least three points from your commentary (6 pts) and at least one meaningful way that the article relates to what we have been studying during the current unit (4 pts) / 10
Total / 100

Name:______Period:____Date:______

Current Events

Rough Draft Form

Article Title:______

Article Source:______Article Date:______

Topic Sentence:______

______

Fact 1:

Fact 2:______

Fact 3:______

Fact 4:______

Fact 5:______

Commentary:

Commentary:

Commentary:

Commentary:

Closing Sentence:

______