This assignment is used in both introductory level Earth Science and Oceanography classes. Articles complement topics discussed in class.

Since the articles complement a physical process or concept covered in class, students must have a good understanding in order to effectively evaluate the value of the article.

Stand alone exercise.

The idea is to give students the opportunity to connect class concepts to a "real" situation. The goal is for students to see the results of a geologic process or hear about a controversy arising from various a topics discussed in class. Another major goal is to have students practice college-level writing for communicating ideas.

To receive full credit, students must no only summarize the articles but evaluate the methods and conclusions given. I encourage students to address the process of science as practiced by the author(s) of the paper. Students are instructed to steer clear of conclusions drawn on what they "feel" about a particular subject, and to base their assessment on the evidence presented in the article.

Certainly, this is an opportunity for students to practice clear, careful writing outside of an english class. It is also a chance for students to freely think about a topic, knowing that their opinion of the article is not graded--they just need to support their conclusions.

During the semester, students must complete two article reviews. They are required to summarize and critically evaluate a recent article pertaining to a topic in Earth Science. Articles may include topics such as global warming, ocean water chemistry, magnetic field wander, hurricane formation, etc. Articles are generally from popular science magazines (Discover, ScienceNews, GeoTimes)but may include artiticles from peer reviewed journals. Students must, in their 2-3 page paper summarize the article, but the most important part I look for is their critical assessment of the science process with an explicit description of how the evidence in the article supports their conclusion.

I don't have a rubric for this one yet, though I have started working on one to make grading less subjective. Students earn points for supporting their positions with strong examples. Points are lost for distracting spelling errors or other evidence that the paper was not carefully written.