Position Paper Topics
Is the current Renewable Energy policy and deployment in the Mojave sustainable….specifically solar.? Should it be Community Distributed/Roof top?
Is nuclear power a viable option for the future-Are people under/overly concerned about the environmental effects of nuclear power?
Is the Endangered Species Act working — should we redesign, cancel, have so many listed……?
Climate change – Is it happening and is it influenced by activities of man; Is the United States doing enough to reduce CO2 emissions?
Should all future cars be hybrid vehicles to minimize environmental damage and pollution?
How can the new Sustainable Ground Water Act be best implemented?
Water usage- should people be allowed to use however much they want as long as they pay for their consumption? What conservation techniques are best for the High Desert?
Do we need more dams?- pros and cons
Desalination plants – are they sustainable?
Are GMOs an appropriate technology in the USA- drought, health, nutritional value
Should citizens be fined for collecting rainwater? Yes, this actually does happen in counties in California and other states. Which ones?
Is Recycling working- cost involved and pollution it causes; Is “Zero Waste possible”?
Should Fracking continue so we are not dependent on other countries?
What is causing the wild-land fires in the Western USA and how can we best mange them.
Is Sustainable Mining possible and how is the Surface Mining Reclamation Act helping in California
How is and can Ecological Restoration be implemented in the Mojave Ecosystems
How is Sustainable Agriculture the solution to our wasteful, industrialized food production system. What are the best practices?
Why is Biodiversity Conservation so important and what are the best practices?
What are the management solutions for human waste water and other water pollution issues in Mojave?
Annotated Bibliography Evaluation Rubric
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1-0 | ||
Source Selection: | Sources chosen are highly relevant to the topic; Sources adds greatly to research potential; few, if any additional sources needed | Most sources chosen are relevant to the topic; May require a small amount of additional research | Some sources chosen are relevant to the topic; writer may need additional sources to complete research | Few sources chosen are relevant to the topic; writer may require significant additional research | Sources are not relevant to researcher’s topic; Sources necessitate extensive additional research | 4 pts |
Credibility: | All sources are from credible, scholarly materials | Most sources are from credible, scholarly materials | Some sources are from credible, scholarly materials | Few sources are from credible, scholarly materials | Sources lack credibility | 4 pts |
Annotations: | Annotations succinctly and comprehensively describe the source material; Annotations offer great insight into the source material | Most annotations are succinct; Most comprehensively describe the source material; Some offer insight into the source material | Some annotations may be too short or too long; Annotations adequately describe the source material, but lack insight | Few annotations meet the length requirements, few annotations adequately describe the source material; annotations offer little insight | Most annotations are either too short or too long; Annotations do not describe the source material; annotations offer no insight | 4 pts |
Evaluations: | Evaluation clearly explains why the sources were chosen; demonstrates a clear understanding of research process: offers insight into source | Most evaluations explain why the sources were chosen; Understands the process of source acquisition | Evaluation sometimes explains why the sources were chosen; demonstrates some understanding of research process | Evaluation mostly lacking in explaining why the sources were chosen; demonstrates little understanding of research process | Evaluation does not explain why the sources were chosen; demonstrates no understanding of research process | 4 pts |
Assignment Criteria: | Each sources has a proper citation; All citations are complete; All are in the proper MLA format | Most sources have proper citation; Most citations are complete; Most are in the proper MLA format | Some sources have proper citation; Some citations are complete; some are in the proper MLA format | Few sources have a proper citation; Few citations are complete; few are in the proper MLA format | Very few sources have a proper citation; Very few citations are complete; Very few are in the proper MLA format. | 2 pts |
Mechanics, Grammar, and Proofing: | Virtually free from mechanical, grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors; All of the assignment requirements were met | Occasional minor errors do not distract the reader; the majority of assignment requirements were met | Some significant errors are present, but the overall meaning is clear; about half of the assignment requirements were met | Errors are distracting, but the meaning is still clear; only some of the assignment requirements were met | Errors distract the reader, to the extent the meaning is unclear; the assignment requirements were not met | 2 pts
20 pts Total |