Module 1: Assessment

Extra! Extra! A Day in the Life of an Oceanographer

Great news! Your school newspaper editor asked you to create a feature story for your school's Career Day next week. You may download the directions and rubric for the assignment below.

Format and Length

Your editor requests that you choose one of two methods for your story:

Your editor requires that you submit your story in one of two formats:

• A written news article of 400-800 words.
• A video segment of five to ten minutes that features a face-to-face interview.

You may write the news article based on an interview with a real oceanographer or by using the information you collect during Internet searches and researching available resources. You may create the video segment by interviewing a real oceanographer or someone portraying an oceanographer who answers the interview questions below based on the information you collect during Internet searches and researching available resources.

Interview Questions

Your editor reminds you that your story must be well-researched, interesting, and appropriate to your audience. You plan to ask all of the following four questions during the interview, as required by your editor:

• What is your job title? In which branch of oceanography does your job belong (i.e., biological, chemical, geological, or physical)?
• How might you describe your average day as an oceanographer in your field?
• What education and training is necessary for an oceanographer in your field?
• What do you suggest a student do to prepare herself / himself for a career in oceanography?

You also decide it'd be fun to ask three of the following nine questions during the interview:

• What qualities make for a great oceanographer in your field?
• What do you find most satisfying about your job?
• What do you find most challenging about your job?
• Where did you complete your schoolwork to become an oceanographer? What degree(s) did you earn?
• What's an interesting study you've conducted or discovery you've made recently?
• Which tools and technologies do you use in your job?
• In what environments do you typically work (e.g., in a lab, on a research vessel, in a classroom, on an oil platform)
• What's a typical career path for an oceanographer in your field?
• What salary range do oceanographers in your field typically make?

Required Elements

Written news article must include:

• Attention-getting, yet appropriate headline.
• Brief introduction to the story and a profile of the interviewee.
• Responses to all interview questions.
  • You may shorten or paraphrase responses as appropriate to fit within the word limit.
  • You may ask follow-up or clarifying questions.
• Two or three relevant and interesting facts interwoven at appropriate points in the article.
• Brief concluding remarks to wrap-up the news article.
• One or two digital images of the interviewee.

Video segment must include:

• Brief introduction to the video segment and a profile of the interviewee.
• Responses to all interview questions.
  • You may shorten into clips responses as appropriate to fit within the time limit.
  • In the video, you must be heard asking each question and the interviewee's responses must be clear.
  • You may ask follow-up or clarifying questions.
• Two or three relevant and interesting facts interwoven at appropriate times before, during, and/or after the interview.
• Brief concluding remarks to thank the interviewee and wrap-up the video segment.

Create the written news article document using a word processing program. If you conduct a video interview, you may upload the video to the dropbox along with the interview questions document if the video is not too large. Use the rubric below to guide your work. Please submit your completed work to the dropbox.

Once you have completed this module, please complete the module test.