Extra+Credit


 * 7. Green Actions**
 * 1) Find and participate in an organized litter clean up event scheduled near your home or school. These are often organized and led by local, state, and national park rangers and other employees. There may also be community groups in your neighborhood who organize clean up events. ***Note: Please use common sense and exercise caution and safety whenever you participate in activities like organized litter clean up. Also, make sure you have permission and/or are accompanied by a parent of guardian if you decide to participate.**
 * 2) Finally, to earn the extra credit, all you need to do is bring or send me pictures of your involvement in the clean up event.


 * 6. How Stuff Works**
 * 1) Search the [|howstuffworks] website to find an interesting article related to this course.
 * 2) Write or preferably email me a short summary of the article in your own words.
 * 3) Specifically, you should:
 * 4) Explain what was the question or problem being researched?
 * 5) How/what was actually done during this research or experiment?
 * 6) What was the outcome? (i.e. Did they learn anything new? Did the research lead to new questions? etc. etc.)
 * 7) Finally, as is the case with any of these extra credit options, more credit will be awarded to the highest quality work. That is, do you simply summarize, or do you explain thoroughly? Consider new and different possibilities? Conduct further research on your own? Explain what you think after considering what you've learned?


 * 5. Course Related Video**
 * 1) Search the web to find a good, high quality video related to this course. (A good example would be something from [|TED] but you're not limited to this website alone. You may use something you find on Youtube or elsewhere, but the most important thing is that the video is from a reliable source and that the subject matter relates directly to this course or to science, research, experimentation, etc. in general.)
 * 2) Write or preferably email me a list of sequential questions (and correct answers) directly addressed during the video. This question/answer sheet should be something exactly like what we use in class whenever we view a video. Here is a great example of what I'm looking for, although you should include correct answers to the questions. Finally, please make sure you write good questions and that they go in order along with the video approximately every 3 minutes. [[file:Blackfish.docx]]


 * 4. Current Event**
 * 1) Research a scientific study, experiment, etc. related to this course.
 * 2) Write out or preferably email me the following....
 * 3) What was the question or problem being researched?
 * 4) Does the researcher specifically state his/her hypothesis being tested? (If so, what it is?)
 * 5) How/what was actually done during this research or experiment?
 * 6) What was the outcome? (i.e. Did they learn anything new? Did the research lead to new questions? etc. etc.)


 * 3. Independent Research**
 * 1) Get an "Experimental Lab Sheet" in class. Or print it out here: [[file:ExperimentalDesign.docx]]
 * 2) You have to:
 * 3) Read and understand the worksheet.
 * 4) Pose the research question, hypothesis and procedure (in detail). *Note: your research question does not need to directly or indirectly relate to science class. In fact, the whole process might even work out better if you choose a question based on: Is this question something I can actually reasonably investigate with the resources I have readily available?
 * 5) I have to:
 * 6) Approve the research question, hypothesis, and procedure before you begin.
 * 7) You have to then:
 * 8) Carry out the procedure
 * 9) Collect data and observations
 * 10) Write a written explanation of the data/observations and whether they either SUPPORT or REJECT your original hypothesis. (i.e. completely carry out the directions on the "Conclusions" section to a T)

Finally, the quality of your work will determine the amount of credit granted for assignment completion.


 * 2. Create a Wordle (available anytime):**Using the notes, labs, and any other relevant class materials from one of the chapters we've studied, use Wordle to generate your own diagram similar, but not identical to, the one I created for chapters 1&2.
 * Please Note: Currently, students may only complete this extra credit assignment once per marking period.**
 * 1) Go [|here]
 * 2) Click "Create" of "Create Your Own"
 * 3) Add all of the vocab, big ideas, short phrases, equations, and any other important items in the field reading: "Paste in a bunch of text:"
 * 4) Edit the Font, Color, Layout, etc. to make the Wordle as visually appealing as possible
 * 5) Somehow take a snapshot, screen capture, etc. of the completed Wordle and send it to me via email.
 * Note: There is a free screen capture program called [|Jing]


 * Here's an example from CH 1&2:**
 * [[image:nahsearthscience/SciMethodWordle.png caption="SciMethodWordle.png"]] ||
 * SciMethodWordle.png ||

"Perform data analysis and explain in your conclusions whether the experimental results support or reject your hypothesis." "When making measurements, make sure you know the divisions of your measuring device and always estimate one digit." "Accuracy means how close your measurement is to the actual value, precision means reproducibility and detail of your measure." For full credit:
 * 1. Create a Puzzle (available anytime):** Using the notes, labs, and any other class materials from one of the chapters we've studied, use Discovery School [|Puzzlemaker] to generate your own puzzle. You can try various types of puzzles, but I would prefer to have good "Hidden Message" puzzles where the hidden message is a BIG IDEA or MAIN THEME of the section you are working with. As an example, the hidden message for our first 2 chapters could be something like:
 * 1) Create and print the puzzle (make sure it is of an appropriate size; able to be read easily)
 * 2) Print the corresponding puzzle key or create a key yourself
 * 3) Hand them in!
 * Please Note: Currently, students may only complete this extra credit assignment once per marking period.**