Name______date______ROY G BIV
CLIMATE Mini Research Paper/Final Due May 10, 2016
Resources: Review book, textbook, internet, books, magazines, videos, movies
(IN TEXT CITATIONS and MLA format bibliography must be included!)
Prior knowledge:
Remember, in Earth Science we learn HOW to think, not what to think. How much would you learn if you were constantly taught the opinions of people teaching you? Now is your chance to show what you’ve learned since the famous “Earth is Flat” lesson . This project should showcase your skills in identifying and using reliable evidence to support your own ideas! There are no “wrong” answers. Be advised that any argument that is poorly supported is just an opinion and not an argument at all.
Page 1:
Part 1: Very brieflylist and explain in bulleted form: Natural factorsaffecting climatechange (note this is not the same as climate controls from our notes). This should be typed and take no more than ½ of a side of printer paper. It may be single spaced. Cite each bullet
AND
Part 2:Very briefly list and explain in bulleted form: Human factors affecting climate change.This should be typed and take no more than ½ of a side of printer paper. It may be single spaced.Cite each bullet
Page 2:
Is the climate changing? Provide visual evidence (chart or map) from an acceptable source. Cite it properly! Explain in one or two sentences how your graphic evidences climate change. Limit graphic, citation and explanation to one page! Remember “climate” is not “weather”. Your visual should represent data from very long ago until very recent climate statistics.
Pages 3-4: This part MAY NOT be longer than 2 sides of printer paper!
Your essay introduction and/or conclusion must address the following ideas: Why is it important to learn and formulate opinions about the Earth and its processes? What are some possible effects of rapid climate change?In light of what you’ve learned and argued what are your responsibilities as a citizen of the planet? Do you feel you have a responsibility to educate others? Why or why not?
Argument(body). Write a short essay citing evidence from Part 1 or Part 2 supporting your thesis for either:
- Option A- Rapid climate change is a natural (cyclic) event. Citations must be given immediately following ideas which are not your own.
OR
- Option B- Rapid climate change is human caused.Citations must be given immediately following ideas which are not your own.
Whichever side you argue, be sure to provide many points of historical and/or numerical evidence! CITE MLA- in text and bibliography!
DATA DATA DATA!
Page 5:
Works cited
- You must cite every piece of evidence immediately following the idea in the body.
- Try to use reliable resources. Part of the exercise is for you to distinguish what is reliable and what is not. If you happen to use what I would deem an unreliable source, points will not be deducted, but your argument will be invalid. THINK!
- Every bit of evidence must be cited. Overarching websites are not ok to use. Your link must bring me directly to the place where you retrieved your information.
Example of in text citation:
My own words evidencing an article online: A new software device will allow novice star-gazers to discover asteroids (Ramsey).
Works cited:
Ramsey, Sarah. "New Desktop Application Has Potential to Increase Asteroid Detection, Now Available to Public."NASA. NASA, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2016. <
Not a proper use of a weblink: (Nasa.gov)Notice that the link in the bibliography allows me to go directly to the evidence. Notice how I did not copy and paste ANYTHING. I stated in my own words.
Follow your rules for citing as given in your English/Social Studies class. You do not have to keep a formal record of notecards, but you may want to start a collection of ideas with the websites they came fromin digital formatFor help with Works Cited page: have to do more than just plug the link in! Find the info and format it so that it looks exactly like the works cited example above! This project is a unit test grade for quarter 4!
DEBATE
On May 1oth , 2016, we will have an in class debate. Be prepared to argue points from your essay. Remember to have a debate we need a range of ideas so be creative!
DEBATE RULE: We respect each other’s opinions. I agree to listen and speak responsibly!
______(sign here)
*RUBRIC: Include this self-assessment when you hand in your project
Part 1 (20 points)/ Part 2 (20points)
/ Part 3 (20 points) / Part 4(20 points) / Part 5(20points) / My Score
Part 1(20points)
/ Part 2(20points) / Part 3(20points) / Part 4(20points) / Part 5(20 points) / Actual Score
How to self-assess on Rubric:
Part 1. Bulleted lists. Are theyexplaining factors for climate CHANGE (ex- don't give natural factors for climate controls)? Are they cited? Do they provide a little info about each idea? Are they all on one page?
Part 2. Is your paper a RESEARCH paper? Does it include many numerical and historical data pieces to support your argument? Is your language formal and somewhat objective? Are your arguments clear? Is it well-structured? Did you fix typos? Subscript properly (ex. CO2)? Spell correctly (ex- gases)?Is your science correct (ex- CFCs are not greenhouse gases!)
Part 3. Are the data pointscited immediately following each data point? Is there a works cited page that easily correlates to your citations? Did you make the paper too long or too short?
Part 4. Did you include the image, explain how it supports your argument and cite it? Does it support your argument?
Part5 is the actual debate: Do you plan to speak respectfully, carefully and clearly. Did you sign the agreement on the rubric? Do you plan to make sure that everyone's voice is heard and that your input is argued? Do you plan to engage in the debatewhole heartedly? In other words, you will not be chatting off-topic,doing some other work. Did your body language show respect for your both teams. If you resort to alarmism, points will be deducted.
Commonly asked questions about this long-term lab:
- Lists for part 1 and part 2 do NOT have to be in complete sentences. They should be short phrases. Both lists may take up one side of (single spaced) paper. Everyone does parts 1 and 2.
- You may NOT copy/paste text at any point in this project unless it is a website link.
- Every source MUST be cited including images MLA FORMAT.
- Your essay may be single spaced, and formally written. While you will be using the points in your essay to debate in class, it should use formal language, spelling and format. You may not argue both sides. You must choose. Don’t use the phrase “I think” to present numerical data. I know who thinks it. You’re writing the paper. Do not resort to alarmism. Keep your language somewhat objective. There should be many points of data with actual statistics from reliable sources and cited properly. This is the very best evidence you can use in a science paper and makes for a more convincing argument!
- The essay should be concise (no longer than 2 single-spaced pages. Of course you may double space)
- Images, charts and maps should be in color and no bigger than a sheet of computer paper. If you do not have a color printer, you may color it with colored pencils.
- You do not have to prepare a “speech”. You should come to class knowing what you’ve written and be ready to respectfully argue your points.
If you still have questions, post on Edmodo. This research paper is assigned over a couple of months, so I expect you to budget your time wisely! See me for examples.