SHORT REFLECTIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS TO STIMULATE STUDENT INTEREST AND LEARNING

Writing assignments are a valuable mechanism for student learning. Traditional assignments take the form of research papers, summaries, and lab reports. I have introduced three writing assignments that vary slightly from the traditional. Learning science is the main goal of the assignments, although each task has a different focus. The papers are limited to one page and must include scientific content. Each assignment is evaluated based on content, writing quality, and creativity. The effectiveness of the assignments is supported by student performance on other assessments and by positive student feedback.

For one of the papers, students are asked to write an account of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The purpose of the assignment is for students to gain an appreciation of how natural phenomena affect society. Before viewing a video depicting events prior to and during the eruption of June 15, 1991, I ask students to place themselves at the scene and write about how it would "feel" to be there. The format of the paper is open except that it must be written in the first person. The most common formats are narratives, diaries, letters, and news articles.

The second paper is a follow up to an earthquake intensity assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to help students understand earthquake intensity and magnitude and recognize the severity of earthquakes. I provide the students with personal reports of a small fictitious earthquake, a map, and an intensity scale. The students are to determine the intensity for each report, plot the intensities, sketch intensity contours, locate the event, and write a short news article about the earthquake. Students have submitted single articles, "realistic" front pages with headlines and multiple articles, and broadcast news scripts.

The remaining assignment is more traditional in that the students are asked to write about Alfred Wegener's theory of Continental Drift. Rather than asking the students to write a summary of pros and cons, I ask the student to form an opinion as to whether or not scientists of his day were justified in rejecting Wegener's hypothesis. The grade for the assignment is not based on their opinion but rather on the support they present. The students can use any source for information including lecture notes, text books, or library and internet resources.