Grammar for Writing: Level Gold — Chapter 15

Scientific Americans Edward Rozzo Chemical dyes and pigments Throughout the history of the United States there have been people whose sole job is to look for answers, never giving up until they find them. These are the scientists whose discoveries and inventions change our lives, in one way or another, forever. Among them, for example, is Dr. Rosalyn Yalow, winner of the 1977 Nobel prize in medicine for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones. Working with Dr. Solomon A. Berson, Dr. Yalow developed the radioimmunoassay, or RIA, that enables doctors to diagnose medical conditions caused by minute changes in hormone levels. RIA has been used in diabetes research, to screen for the hepatitus virus in blood bank supplies, and in many other medically related fields. Write a two-page biographical sketch about one scientist you admire. Begin by looking into the lives of several different twentieth-century scientists. Take notes on what they have worked on, where they worked, and any honors and awards they received. STEP 1: Initial Search Begin your research with visits to the following Web sites: Time 100: Scientists and Thinkers Google.com Search for specific information about modern-day scientists. Take notes on people, awards, and general information about scientists. Find out about the discoveries they made or the projects they worked on. Take notes on their specialties as well as the challenges in their field. STEP 2: Focus Your Search Choose one scientist who will be the subject of your biographical sketch. Visit the following Web site to learn more about the scientist you chose. Biography.com Search: Next to the "Find" button, type in the name of the scientist you've chosen. Use cluster diagrams to organize the details you have discovered about the scientist's education, field of study, discoveries, writings, and awards (see Grammar for Writing, Level Gold, pages 10–11). Search the Internet for more information on your topic and explore other resources, such as biographies, books about specific sciences, an encyclopedia, an almanac, newspaper and magazine articles, and scientific journals. Refer to the publications data bases in the library for possible articles. STEP 3: Define Your Audience Your purpose is to inform high school science students about the life and achievements of the scientist you chose. Your audience may or may not have heard of this person. Use an informative writing style. Include facts and details that bring your subject to life and make it clear why this person is so important. STEP 4: Develop an Outline Outline the material you found through your research. Include (1) education, positions held, special opportunities; (2) experiments and discoveries; and (3) awards received and articles and books the scientist has authored. A biographical sketch usually offers plenty of opportunity for using capitalization. In addition to the subject's name, many other words may need to be capitalized, for example, her or his place of birth; the college attended, academic degrees, places where the scientist worked, and the names of programs or projects he or she worked on. Be sure you know the rules! (See Grammar for Writing, Level Gold, pages 305, 307, 309, and 311.) Consider what motivates a scientist to enter a field, do a specific type of experiment, or develop a new technique. Before you start researching and writing about the scientist you chose, create 4–6 questions you would ask this person in an interview. Use these questions to guide both your research and your writing. STEP 5: Organize Your Ideas and Write a Rough Draft Review your outline. Flesh out the material with dates, facts, details, or quotes by or about the scientist. Use the outline as the basis of your biographical sketch. Be sure to make your sketch readable and interesting to your audience. Cells under a microscope STEP 6: Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Writing Reread your biographical sketch. Make sure that each paragraph has a topic sentence and that all the sentences in the paragraph support that topic. Find an anecdote or quotation for the opening of your sketch as well as an interesting way to end it. Edit your writing for grammatical errors; then proofread your work carefully for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors. STEP 7: Publish Your Work Present your biographical sketch. Be prepared to explain why you chose that particular scientist. Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.