Modern Astronomy: In chapter 15 of the text, the authors likened the problem of studying the lives of stars to learning about human beings through a 1-minute glance at human life. What could you learn about human life by looking at a single snapshot of a large extended family, including babies, parents, and grandparents? How is the study of such a snapshot similar to what scientists do when they study the lives of stars? How is it different? ……
“Answer these questions in the paper” ……
The Instructions……
It will be assumed that you have little prior knowledge about the question – your task is to figure out the answer, not just look it up. You will turn in a brief report giving and justifying your response to the question.. Be sure to explain your response and explain why you think it is correct. The report must be at between 500 and 600 words in length as measured by a word processing program…….
• Your report must include and cite at least one external source. These sources can be magazine articles, books, or websites, but in any case must be less than three years old……
• Sources should be listed on the front cover page and in the body of the paper using some style of your choice…..
Tips for writing “writing assignments”:….
1. Read the question :
1/ It sounds simple, but many times people lose a considerable number of points because they didn’t understand the question. …
2/ If a specific question is asked be sure to answer it. In other words, if the question asks “what would you recommend?” or “How would you vote?” be sure to answer precisely that. If it is a “yes” or “no” question be sure to say “yes” or “no” in your paper….
2. Opinions :
1/ If the question asks for your opinion, don’t be shy. Opinions are graded on reasoning, thought processes and your ability to justify your opinion, not on whether or not you came to the “right” conclusion or agree with the grader/instructor. However, you do need to base your opinion on your research…..
3. Definitions :
1/ Define what you are talking about. If, for instance, the question concerns perpetual motion, you should define or explain what perpetual motion is. A large part of scientific thinking and writing is clearly expressing exactly what it is you are writing or talking about……
4. Outside sources :
1/ It’s easy to Google your subject, find a link and slap it on your cover page without ever even reading the link you just cited. The main purpose of asking for an outside source is to get you to do some research and base your response on that research.
2/ If you did research on the Internet (or a book) and read about a topic, then you need to specify that in your paper. You must cite your source in your paper. See tip #10 for an example.
3/ Not citing your source in your paper will cost you a minimum of 2 points which doesn’t sound like much but over the course of the semester those points add up and could make the difference between an A- and an A….
5. Word count :
1/ Time is always an issue and when the requirement is 500-600 words, it’s very tempting to get to 302 words and stop but you need to aim for 600 words. Generally, 600 word papers score higher than 450 word papers. The more you write, the more likely you are to hit the critical points.
2/ With that said, don’t “fluff” up your paper. Keep it succinct and to the point, but cover more of the important points of the subject.
3/ It is also dangerous to “fluff” up your paper with extraneous material that is wrong. A paper that is hitting all the right points that then takes a sharp left turn into pseudoscience will lose points….
6. Stay on topic :
1/ Don’t digress. It’s so easy to get off on a tangent but resist the urge to do so. You will use up your word count on issues that won’t gain you any points.
2/ For example, if the question topic is “an observatory/base on the moon” then a lengthy discussion of the financial hardship on the country is not the main point.
3/ Another example, the first discussion question about scientific theory is not about playgrounds or playground safety. It’s about what constitutes a scientific theory….
7. Rewriting the question :
1/ In many types of papers it is important to reiterate the question but not here. You don’t need to repeat the assignment. Again, these are pretty short papers and you will use up your word count without improving your grade…..
8. Humor :
1/ The proper use of humor can make your paper more interesting to read and often times make your point, however, you can over do it….
9. Grammar and punctuation :
1/ This is not an English class, but poor grammar and punctuation can make your paper unintelligible. If your paper is so poorly written that the grader can’t find what they are looking for you will lose points…..
10. How many is “several” or “a few” :
1/ The word “several” is generally considered to be more than two1. In your discussion question papers, three or more is adequate for a “give several examples” question.
