Extra credit is intended to supplement classroom instruction not to replace. Students may critique relevant news articles, post worthwhile references, provide academic support to their classmates, build models, create websites/blogs, do class presentations, etc.

The beauty of our class is that it is so relevant to students everyday life. It is very rare that a day goes by in which an article related to our class cannot be found in the local newspapers. We have also provided a substantial listing of news feeds in which 100 or so related articles are presented to students fresh daily courtesy of Science Daily, Yahoo, Google, NPR, etc.

The news feeds can be accessed from the news section of the main navigation menu and are updated daily.

Critiques of news articles can be written by hand, typed and printed or submitted in the appropriate section of the forum and all must be done in "FCAT Format". FCAT format is a term that we use that promotes the writing and inquiring skills that are measured by standardized testing.

All critiques must be three to five paragraphs in the following format:

• Paragraph One: An introduction to the article, author, author's purpose, title, publication and publication date, the student's overall take on the article and why it relates to class.
• Paragraph Two to Three: 10-12 details from the article that support the student's assertion as to their take on the article, the author's purpose and how it's relate to class.
• Last Paragraph: A brief summary of the article, why it might be relevant to other students and restating the purpose or their take on it.

All articles must be in the students own words. Students who borrow directly from the article, without using quotations, or paraphrase the author will not get credit for the article.

Students may earn up to 75pts per grading period by doing extra credit but may submit only one article per week. (quality article submissions can earn up to ten points each)

Students wishing to do larger projects: class demostrations, websites, coordinating recycling in their neighborhoods, building a compost heap, building a model, participating in local volunteer efforts should meet with their instructor before beginning on the project for clarification and direction.