Science Article Summary

The advances in all fields of science seem to come at an exponential rate. What we study today may be modified or amended tomorrow just as much of today's knowledge is rooted in the past. An educated person reads throughout an entire lifetime. Articles should be from a respectable source such as: Scientific American, Discover, Science News, Natural History, Smithsonian, Bioscience, etc. There are two methods of submission for reviewing at article, consult your instructor on specific details for your assignment.

Science News Sources

1. Copy or print the article, you will attach it to your essay.

2. Summarize the article in your own words! The summary must be printed with a word processor. The summary should contain the following elements. Your teacher may allow you to submit via email with a link to the article instead.

• Introduction (2 point). Introduce the article by describing or defining the major ideas covered in the article. Explain why this subject is important, and how it relates to our unit of study.
• Content Summary (3 points). They key word here is summary. Do not copy the content of the entire article. What was the article all about? What were the main concepts and ideas that were discussed? What was the question(s) the author was investigating? What methods did he/she use? What evidence was uncovered to support the main body of the article
• Evaluation (3 points). Restate the main areas of importance in the magazine article. With your perspective as an AP Biology student, discuss the quality of the article with regard to its relevance, importance, readability, interest level, and scientific content. Explain why you would or would not recommend it to the other members of your class.
• Writing style (1 point). This is a college level course, and you are expected to write using appropriate grammar, sentence structure and formatting. You are also expected to use your own words when summarizing, do not plagiarize!
• Relevance ( 1 point ). Article relates to the unit of study.

All summaries should not exceed a page in length.

You will lose a point if you fail to attach or link a copy of the article to your summary.

Submission on Discussion Forum

In this alternative method, you will discuss your article on a digital forum or social network. The guidelines are similar to the essay submission but you are also required to respond on the forum and engage in discussion about articles summarized by your peers.

• Introduction (2 pts). Introduce the article by describing or defining the major ideas covered in the article. Explain why this subject is important, and how it relates to our unit of study. Include a link to the article you are summarizing
• Content Summary (3 pts). They key word here is summary. Do not copy the content of the entire article. What was the article all about? What were the main concepts and ideas that were discussed? What was the question(s) the author was investigating? What methods did he/she use? What evidence was uncovered to support the main body of the article
• Relevance and Discussion (2 pts). Explain why you chose this article, why it is interesting to you or in the context of the biology class or unit. Ask a question or state an opinion to prompt further discussion of the topic
• Discussion (3 pts). On the forum, read other summaries and respond in an appropriate and meaningful way. Also, respond to your own summary and discussion thread when others post.

• Meaningful and New Ideas: Ideas examine topic from new perspective that contributes to group understanding of topic
• Message Coherence: Messages explain issues, provide new perspectives, effectively questions, or elaborates on topic
• Relevance of Replies to Other Messages: Responses elaborate, contradict,modify, or explain the original messag

Rubric for Forum Analysis

Introduction: ____0 ____1 ____2 ____3
Content Summary: ____0 ____1 ____2 ____3
Relevance & Prompt: ____0 ____1 ____2 ____3
Discussion Responses: ____0 ____1 ____2 ____3
Total Points _____ out of 12