Science Article Collection Approximate Time Needed: Ongoing assignment, mostly homework Lesson Summary: Students will work independently to locate magazines and/or newspaper articles that relate to a particular science field that interests them.  As students research the careers mentioned in the articles, they will create an accessible and valuable resource: a "Class Science News Log." Lesson Objective: Students will gain:  an awareness of the real presence of science in the world beyond academic lessons in the classroom; research skills; a self-generated, growing resource collection of science news and careers. Materials and Resources: Newspapers, Magazines, or other periodicals A large scrapbook in which students can place articles and research ECOS Career Search or Career Directory Helpful Hints: This lesson plan may be used as a rotating assignment to help build an understanding of science and science-related careers in the news; it may also be offered as an incentive for extra-credit. Activities: Students can give class presentations showcasing the information they have compiled in their logs. Provide students with a list of possible newspapers, magazines, or science-oriented periodicals that might be useful (e.g. New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Science News, Nature, etc.) for their research. The list is intended to serve as springboard, not the absolute list for the students to use. The point is to have students explore and research independently. Ask students to bring in one article and career report per grading period. Students can access the career data in the ECOS Career Search or Career Directory. The scope of the research can be adapted to the time available, needs of the course, and the ability level of the class. Basic information such as education requirements, career characteristics, career responsibilities, career outlook, and salary information may be appropriate. Submissions to the log should contain the article or a copy with a brief summary of the research on the opposite page. Evaluation: Evaluate the student's combined submissions or develop a more formal assessment of the log. The goal is to develop a collection of articles and supplemental data about science and science-related careers. OR Students write a one-page written synopsis of the article. The synopsis could be posted with the article and career data facet. The synopsis could be compiled into a separate section of the log. Possible Adaptations: The lesson is extremely flexible and may be adapted in a number of ways to suit the teacher's needs.