CURRENT EVENTS

 

We are currently experiencing a biological revolution where scientific research is growing rapidly. As a result, many environmental, medical, and social issues have come to our attention. For each marking period, you will be required to submit two (2) current events that are related to the field of biology. The articles may be taken from any newspaper, magazine, scientific journal, or science website. The goals of these assignments include reading scientific articles and familiarizing yourself with current biological issues. Another goal is that you will improve your ability to critically read and evaluate an article.  You must follow the format that is illustrated below. Be sure to provide all of the required information.

Name

Date

Title of the Article

Author’s Name

Date of Publication

Source of the Article (newspaper, magazine, website, etc)-Be specific

Link to article

 

Summary: Briefly summarize the information that is contained within the article. Provide enough information so that someone who has not read the article will understand what it is all about. This should be at least one paragraph (5-10 solid sentences).

 

Importance/Questions: Why was the article written? Why should the information be known? *Discuss any questions that you think the article should have answered or something else that you would like to know about the subject. This should be at least one paragraph (5-10 solid sentences).

 

Careers: What two careers may be relevant to the subject of the article? They must be biological in nature. (Please note that these careers do not need to be listed in the article.) Be specific! What type of doctor? What type of biologist? What type of researcher? Be sure to answer the following for each career…

1. List the name of the career
2. What would a person in that line of work do? Be specific!
3. Why would someone in this field want to know the information presented in the article? How could they apply it to their jobs?

OTHER IMPORTANT DIRECTIONS:

• The assignment must saved into your Biology folder on Google Drive. Save each article as “Current Event #_”
• Include section headings
• The article must be no older than 1 MONTH
• All articles must be related to biology, the study of LIFE.
• In terms of length, the current event assignment should be at least 1 page (if single spaced). If double spaced, the assignment should be at least 1.5 pages.

Source Requirements:

• The article must be written. Video or sound clips are not appropriate.
• Must be biology related.
• There is no requirement for the length of the article used. However, when choosing an article, consider that you will need to write a paragraph summary. If the article is only a short blurb or few paragraphs long, you will not have enough information to complete the assignment.
• The source should credible. Please limit your online journals to those listed below.
• The article should be current, meaning that is was published within the last MONTH. There is a wealth of science articles written each month, so it should not be difficult to find something to write about. See me if you would like to write about an article that does not meet this criteria.

 

Sample Resources:

Magazines

Newsweek, Time Magazine, National Geographic, Scientific American, Nature, Discover

Newspapers

New York Times (Science Section is available on Tuesdays), USA Today

Online Journals

BBC Science/Nature: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/default.stm

BBC Health: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/default.stm

***Biology News Net: http://www.biologynews.net/

CNN Science and Space: http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/

CNN Health: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/

Environmental News Network: http://www.enn.com/

National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html

New Scientist Magazine: http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns

New York Times Science: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/index.html

New York Times Health: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/health/index.html

Science Magazine: http://www.sciencemag.org/

Science News Online: http://www.sciencenews.org/

 

Scientific American: http://www.sciam.com/