Throughout the year, you may earn extra credit by completing a "smarticle" or a "presenticle".   

 

Requirements: 

1) Topic: Select a subject/topic to do research on that is related to something we have talked about in class.  Research your topic and print out a magazine article, internet article or newspaper article that covers your topic.  PLEASE GET APPROVAL FOR ALL TOPICS

 

2) Written paper: Then, write two paragraphs about what you researched.  The first paragraph should summarize the article in your own words.  (Plagiarism gets a zero.)  Make sure you cover the main points of the article.  make sure that you do NOT use "I", "me" or any personal pronouns. 

 

The second paragraph should be your response to the article.  What are your thoughts about the article?  (now personal pronouns are OK) Why did you choose the article? What did you learn from it?  Do you agree/disagree with the author?  Why is the article you read about important?  How many people are affected by the topic you chose?  Is it important to everyone equally?   

 

The length of the ENTIRE written paper should be AT LEAST 3/4 of a double spaced, typed page.  AT MOST, it should be two pages. 

 

3) The Presentation (optional, worth more points if done): 

The presentation to the class should be at least one minute long.  You can bring in pictures or use the overhead to make your presentation more interesting. 

 

In some cases, I will allow students to work in groups of two and collaborate on a project. 

 

Extra Points:  The potential value of each project will be determined before you start.  This will be agreed upon with me beforehand as I need to approve all topics.  Once projects are assigned, they are no longer optional.  Example:  If you decide to do a project and it is agreed that it could be worth ten extra points, then if you DO NOT do it, it will count ten points AGAINST your grade.  Simply put, if you agree to do a smarticle or a presenticle, then completing it becomes a graded assignment.