Here is the set of directions you will receive on January 9th. It is very much like the directions of the Sept to Nov BSP you did in the fall.
Email me if you have questions.
Science Book Study Project for PreAp Students
Today’s date: January 9, 2012 Due date: March 26, 2012
Objective: Students will link scientific advances discovered through personal reading with past or current scientific and societal issues.
Essential Questions: What encourages human ingenuity? What can hinder, or get in the way, of scientific advance? Is scientific advance necessary for a society to thrive? Must science always serve the best interests of mankind? What is the role of science in society today? What are the limitations of science?
IB Objectives: Keeping in mind the areas of interaction of Environment, Community and Service, Human Ingenuity, and Health and Society, students will examine issues and topics found in non-fiction literature and link these to significant moments or questions in science.
NOTE: A rough draft is NOT acceptable for your final product. If you choose to turn in a finished product that is rough draft quality, be prepared to start with a grade of 70%. This is being mentioned because a number of projects in the fall were turned in looking as if they were rough drafts, rather than a finished product. Take Pride In Your Work!
This project is REQUIRED and will count in the FIFTH grading period.
Some criteria for this project and some things to ponder before starting:
- Choose a book of interest to YOU!
- The book must be a 7th grade, PreAp level, non-fiction, science-related book.
- The book may be on a scientist, inventor, disease, research, space, environment, human behavior, and/or societal issues around science, human behavior,
- Science Fiction books will NOT be allowed for this project.
- No two students of this science teacher should be doing the same exact book for this project.
- It is suggested that you read a few excerpts from books at our MMS library, an Austin Public Library, or go to amazon.com and search non-fiction science titles and read to see if it sounds like something you’d be interested in. You can read samples of books online at amazon
- You may use library books or you may purchase your own copy of the book of your choice if you wish to do so once your book title has been approved.
- You need to make your title choice and email it to me or tell it to me no later than January 17th and 18th, 2011. If you wait until the last minute to choose a title, someone else may have already chosen that book and you will have to choose another title. First come, first served.
- A suggested reading list will be posted on my website within the next 24 to 48 hours and those books are an option as well.
- It’s a good idea to keep your materials together in a section of your binder or in a pocket folder or in a pocket divider in your binder while doing this long-term project.
- Your reading for this project, for the most part, will be OUTSIDE of class time so set time aside, with reminders in your Agenda, to spend a few minutes several times a week to read and complete required questions. There might be a few opportunities here and there in class to have reading time in class for part of a class period or perhaps when you are finished with an assignment with a few minutes until the end of the class period. Keep book with you daily.
- The culminating activity will be completed and detailed answers, PreAp level, to the Guiding Questions listed on the next page.
- You will have a checkup assignment due on February 15 and 16, 2012. You will receive more instructions on exactly what you will need to turn in at that time.
Guiding Questions for the Book Study Project (BSP) PreAp students
The TITLE and AUTHOR of your book needs to be at the top of your Guiding Questions and on ANY and ALL products turned in.
Consider the following questions before, during, and after you are reading this book. Answer on a separate sheet of paper, either typed or written in blue or black ink, in size 12 or 14 font, in Ariel or Roman or a standard font, OR it can be written in blue or black ink, to turn in on the due date. You may simply put your response next to the number of the questions on the separate paper. You do not need to write this in essay format. Please keep the questions in numerical order when you respond to them.
1. What is the subject matter of your book? How does the author divide up the information?
2. List what you already know about the topic.
3. What made you choose this particular book? What is your personal interest in the topic?
4. What fact did you l like the most? Why? Be Specific!
5. What information did you learn that you would like to share with someone else?
6. Would you like to read more books on this topic? Why or why not? What else would you like to find out?
7. If there were pictures or illustrations in this book, tell me about them. Did they add to your understanding of the information, or were they just decoration? What did you like/dislike about the pictures or illustrations? If there were no pictures or illustrations, what kinds of visual effects would you have liked to be included in this book?
8. Is this book like any other book(s) you have read? If so, how are they alike? How are they different? Which one did you like better? Why?
9. What kind of research do you think the author had to do to write this book?
10. What questions would ask this author if you were given the opportunity to do so, in person?
11. What more do you want to know about the topic? How will you learn more?
12. By reading and investigating, what did you discover than can help you outside of school, out in the “real world”?
13. What kind of teacher do you think this author would make? What advice would you give this author if she/he were teaching about this subject instead of writing about it?
14. How do you think the research or invention or discovery you have read about makes the world a better place?
15. If you read about a specific scientist, what do you think would be best about having this person for a friend or classmate? Are their personal interests away from their scientific work mentioned in the book you read? If so, what are those interests? If you did not read about a specific scientist, find a scientist who researched about the topic of your book and state their name(s) in writing.
VISUAL PIECE CHOICES FOR YOUR BOOK STUDY PROJECT
The TITLE and AUTHOR of the book needs to be on your Visual Piece where the teacher can easily see it.
You may choose ONE of the following options to turn in with responses to your GUIDING QUESTIONS. This needs to be done on paper that is no larger than 9 inches by 12 inches, no smaller than 8 ½ by 11 inches:
- Pamphlet or Brochure summarizing your book, or a certain part of the book, thoroughly done, including information about the book along with some photos, charts, graphs. This can be computer-generated or done by hand in blue or black ink.
- A letter of concern to the government set in the era or time period that the information took place, where you are writing out of concern for an event discussed in your book. 250-400 words in length. FOR EXAMPLE, if you are reading about Jonas Salk, you can write a letter to the Health Dept. about why there should be mandated vaccines given to all humans to prevent getting polio.
- A letter, newspaper, or journal piece, pertaining to the work you are doing as a scientist, pretending to be the PERSON your book is written about. 250-400 words (If it is about a specific scientist.)
- A comprehensive children’s story, depicting the science behind the work discussed in your book, so that children between ages four and eight years of age could comprehend it. Pictures and text need to be included.
- A debate written up for two sides of an issue covered in the book, following UIL debate guidelines.(Find guidelines online)
- Short play script that could be performed concerning part of the book, at least one act in length. You do NOT have to actually perform the play.
- An essay, 250-400 words, summarizing the main concepts of the book, typed, 12-14 size fonts, Ariel or Roman or Tahoma, using one-inch margins.
- Imagine you are a person in the book you read and write a speech that you could present to a professional convention in your area of science, 300-400 words in length, minimum.
- A comic book, depicting(telling) an important part of the book your read. This needs to be several pages in length in order to sufficiently depict the part of the book you read that you are describing. Needs to be in blue or black pen and hand-drawn.
- Written script for a TV broadcast about the book, covering a 5 to 7 minute broadcast
GRADING RUBRIC FOR BOOK STUDY PROJECT: PRE-AP STUDENTS
Guided Questions answered according to directions 30 points
Visual Part of BSP, completed as directed 30 points
Neatness and overall presentation(of paper and visual) 20 points
7th grade PreAp Level of thoroughness and detail 20 points
