Assignment Goals
Source Material
Student Instructions
Guiding Questions
Writing Prompt
Calibrations, Average Word Count, and Answer Keys

Assignment Goals

The goal of this assignment is to introduce students to the science of geology AND to the process of Calibrated Peer Review.

Note: This assignment was originally created by Elisabeth Heise and Amanda Julson.

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Source Material

Study the identified webpages according to the student instructions; exploration of additional links is optional. The other listed resources provide information on rating an essay and HTML formatting.

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Source Material Resources: Sarah Andrew's thoughts on "Why Study Geology?" - a webpage that contains a discussion of the uniqueness of geology among the sciences. URL: http://www.sonoma.edu/geology/uses.htm CPR Text Rating Guidelines - a file containing the guidelines to help you rate CPR essays URL: http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/cpr/data/designers/f/f03365/assignments/200001/resources/res002/file/CPRtextrating.doc HTML Tutor - a webpage that explains how to use simple HTML commands to format your essay. It includes such formatting items as subscripts and line returns. URL: http://www.cwu.edu/~verheys/howto.html

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Student Instructions

While reading the Source Material, consider potential answers to the Guiding Questions and think about how best to organize your essay in response to the Writing Prompt.

Sarah Andrews is a geologist who has also written a series of successful mystery novels featuring (naturally) a geologist who solves crimes in her spare time. Read her article, "Why Study Geology?" by following the link below. Then read the writing prompt and write your essay. After this, follow the instructions for calibration essays and self-review.

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Guiding Questions

Keep these questions in mind as you study the Source Material:

1. What are the qualities that geologists have in common?

2. What are the complex problems faced by the world today?

3. What are the special talents mentioned by Andrews as typical of people who choose to pursue a career in geology?

4. Do you recognize in yourself any characteristic that might suit you to a career in geology?

5. What career or careers within the field of geology seem the most interesting to you? Why?

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Writing Prompt

Write an essay of the required length discussing the unique qualities of geologists. Be sure to use your own words -- do not just cut and paste from the article. Be sure you address the Guiding Questions in your essay, but remember that you are writing an essay that integrates ideas and information. In other words, write your essay in response to the Writing Prompt -- do not simply provide a series of answers to the Guiding Questions.

A brief outline of the important points to cover is as follows:

1. Describe the unique qualities of geologists.

2. Describe at least three of the complex problems faced by the world today.

3. Describe at least one of the personal characteristics that lead to the problems often encountered by geologists and other spatial thinkers along the way to "becoming educated."

4. Following Andrew's points, explain whether or not you recognize in yourself at least one characteristic that might suit you to a career in geology.

5. What career or careers within the field of geology seem the most interesting to you? Why?

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Calibrations and Answer Keys