(1) provide experience in formal writing and (2) facilitate learning about national parks. This writing experience, along with its editorial review and rewrite activities, definitely should help with the term paper project in ERTH 330.
Write an essay in which you describe the physical landscape (geomorphology and geology) of a small unit in the national park system. National park system units include national parks, national monuments, national recreation areas, national preserves, national reserves, national seashores, national lakeshores, national rivers, national historic sites, national historical parks, national battlefield sites, and more.
Restrictions exist. (1)The unit should not be too large or too small; it should be appropriate for a three-page essay. (2) The unit can not be one that the syllabus lists as a topic on any specific class day.
Everyone must have their topic approved in advance. Therefore, do some research and try to find a personally interesting park system unit. Do not submit an essay without prior approval of the topic!
Cite literature and provide a works cited section. Sources should be scholarly and peer reviewed. Limit on–line sources to relevant government sites or those of scholarly or professional organizations.
This essay must not exceed a length of three (3) pages of text. Include a title page. This essay must have an abstract (limit 50 words) and headings (for formal subdivisions). Required headings include one for the abstract, an introduction, and a conclusion; include at least one other between the introduction and conclusion. The works cited section may extend onto a 4th page. Use a print size of either (a) 11.5 or 12 points. Select automatic page numbering and hyphenation (but do not number the title page). Remember to maintain a 1 inch margin on all sides. Use the word processor’s spell checker! Be sure to consult closely the “Essay on Short Essays.”
Before writing your abstract, read this one-page article (it is in the syllabus section of Canvas):
Landes, K. K. 1951. A scrutiny of the abstract. Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 35(7):1660.
Sample Solution