This Unit's

Homework for Unit 16: Writing about Science

Reading

History Web Lecture: History Topics to Review

Science Web Lecture: Science Topics to Review

Lab: Read the lab section on scientific methodology, even if you are not doing the work for lab credit.

Chat Preparation Essay

Post your essay answer to the questions below to the Moodle Unit 16 Forum before chat. Log into the Moodle (if you are challenged, use your own Scholars Online userid and password), click on the Natural Science course link, and then on the forum link for this unit. Read any other forum postings.

In this exercise, you get to write two questions you would like to see on the exam. Remember that an ESSAY question should be not be something that you can answer with a single fact. (Whose theory used epicycles? or What is acceleration are not good essay questions!) Your topic should require the writer to make a claim (the thesis statement), and support the claim with specific historical examples or cases from scientific evidence.
Essay questions usually take one of the following forms:

Definition: What is materialism?
Explanation: How did Ptolemy account for each of the following phenomena? a) prograde and retrograde motion b) changing speed in prograde motion c) changing size or brightness of the planet at oppositiona and conjunction.
Similarities and Differences: Compare and contrast Greek and Egyptian explanations for planetary motion.
Application: Apply Archimedes' principle to explain why a metal boat floats when metal is more dense than water.

History: Try to ask something that will invite your fellow students to explain how some major topic of science or nature was addressed by philosophers from different periods or cultures over the time period (pre-history to the early Roman Empire) covered by this semester.
Science: Try to ask something that will invite you to explain how we currently explain one or more of the areas of science we covered this year (matter, celestial motions, living organisms).

Post your history and science questions to the Moodle Essay page before class!

Mastery Exercise

There is no new Mastery Exercise for this review unit. Complete any Mastery Exercises for which you did not achieve a passing grade (85%), and redo any Mastery Exercises for Units where you want to review the material.

Lab Exercise

There is no new lab exercise for this Unit. Complete and submit reports for any outstanding labs.

Unit Quiz

There is no new unit Quiz for this Unit. Be prepared to complete any missed unit quizzes during the Grace period.

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