Scientific Review Rubrics

1. WHAT is a “Scientific Review”?
1. Science is an integral part of the world around us. It is important that you learn how to read scientific articles and/or view scientific documentaries and evaluate them critically so that you can be a well-informed member of our democratic society. A “Scientific Review” consists of three parts:

1. Summary: Paragraphs #1-3

2. Relationships: Paragraph #4

3. Reflections: Paragraph #5

2. HOW do I write a “Scientific Review”?

1. Summarize the main ideas of the article or documentary IN YOUR OWN WORDS. This is a minimum of three (3) paragraphs.

2. Explain the relationships of the main ideas in the article to different fields of science (see attached list on back ). This explains HOW each idea relates to a field of science. This is one paragraph. Some sentences may start with phrases like:

a. “This relates to what we have been learning in class because….”

b. “This article or documentary discussed the following concepts …..which relates to ….(a specific field of science).

c. “I have seen this topic included in….( a specific field of science) …because……

*This is a minimum of one (1) paragraph.

3. Express your reflections of the article and how it affected your thinking. What questions do you have regarding concepts? Some sentences may begin with phrases like:

“This concept reminds me of….”

“ What really surprised me was….”

“What I do not understand is…..”

“I would predict that……..”

“I used to believe that….because …..”

“ I wonder if………”

*This is a minimum of one (1) paragraph.

C. WHAT is a paragraph?

1. A paragraph is a minimum of five (5) sentences: one topic, one concluding, and three supporting sentences.

D. WHAT is self-assessment?

1. Each time you write a Scientific Review you will need to do the following on your FINAL, TYPED copy:

1. Highlight a topic sentence in each paragraph.

2. Underline a concluding sentence in each paragraph.

3. Have written a minimum of three supporting sentences/paragraph.

4. Have your parent/guardian proofread and sign the self-assessment sheet.

5. Have corrected all spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

6. Fill out the small, self-assessment sheet and staple it to the top left hand corner of your final, typed copy.

SOME MAJOR FIELDS OF SCIENCE:

PHYSICAL SCIENCE:

Motion

Energy

Waves

Light

Electricity

Magnetism

Heat

Matter

Atoms

Bonds

Chemical Reactions

Acids, Bases, Salts

Organic Chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry

Electrochemistry

Nuclear Chemistry

EARTH SCIENCE:

Astronomy

Atmosphere

Weather

Climate

Oceanography

Rocks/Minerals

Structure of the Earth

Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes

Fossils

Erosion

Hydrologic Cycle

Waves and Currents

Natural Resources

Volcanoes

Topographic Maps

Geologic Time

LIFE SCIENCE:

Cell Biology

Classification of Living Organisms

Viruses and Bacteria

Protozoans

Algae

Fungi

Plants

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Human Biology

Medicine

Genetics

Ecology

Marine Biology

SELF-ASSESSMENT: Circle the number of points you believe you deserve for each of the following categories:

I have highlighted a topic sentence and underlined a concluding sentence in each paragraph.

( I did ‘t do anything) 1…………2………….3…………..4………5 ( I did it all!!J)

I have written at least three supporting sentences in each paragraph.

( I did ‘t do anything) 1…………2………….3…………..4………5 ( I did it all!!J)

I have at least three paragraphs for the summary, one for the relationship, and one for the reflection.

( I did ‘t do anything) 1…………2………….3…………..4………5 ( I did it all!!J)

I have carefully corrected my grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

( I did ‘t do anything) 1…………2………….3…………..4………5 ( I did it all!!J)

An adult (Parent/Guardian/Teacher) has proofread my final copy and signed the assessment sheet.

( I did ‘t do anything) 1…………2………….3…………..4………5 ( I did it all!!J)