The Alien Assignments
These assignments are designed to prepare you for doing the
Compare Contrast Research Position Paper (CCRPP), worth 200 points.
Since the CCRPP requires you to analysis visual scenes in a video, you will
analysis a picture in the first two assignments. The third assignment will aid
you in using formal, scientific English required in writing the CCRPP.
You will be required to do all of the alien assignments using the same
picture; you will check out the picture in class and submit it with all
assignments. The picture will remain with the Geology Department at the
end of assignment three; if you drop the class, please return the picture.
A block will be put on your registration if your picture is not returned.
When you have completed every assignment, you will be prepared to
complete the CCRPP.
The alien’s universal translator will not translate measurements based on
human forms such as the yard or degrees Fahrenheit; the yard was the
size of the waist of one of the English kings and 1000 F was Fahrenheit’s
body temperature when he developed the thermometer. Therefore, you
will need to use metric measurements; the meter is the distance light will
travel in a fraction of a second and 1000 C is the boiling point of pure
water. Some helpful identities are in the table below. These are not the
only metric measurements, so if you need more help, see me or a tutor/SI.
| English unit | Equivalent metric unit |
|---|---|
| 1 acre = | 4046.86 square meters |
| 1 foot = | 0.3 048 meters |
| 1 gallon = | 3.7853 liters |
| 1 inch = | 2.54 centimeters |
You will need to use paperclips to attach your answers to the pictures.
Paperclips are available in PS 2 before class; don’t disturb any class being
held in that lab. Do not write on, trim, or mangle the picture in any way;
we will use them again. If the picture is damaged beyond normal, you will
be required to replace it.
Alien Assignment One(AA1):
Your alien friend is very excited about your determination of the accuracy
of her/his suggested location. However, your new friend has just learned
that Earth has seasons while the alien’s planet doesn’t. She/he would like
you to determine the season during which your picture was taken. This
may not be as simple as it sounds since other places in the world have
climates different from those in Southern California. Some places have
flowers that bloom in the summer or fall; some mountains may have snow
all year round. You may need to identify some of the plants to help
determine the season. The earlier visual analysis may be of some help
to you. Again you will attach your TYPED answer to the back of
the picture
with a paper clip.
Alien Assignment Two (AA2):
You have been contacted by an alien that is a nice being and wants to
learn about Earth. Unfortunately, your new friend is a poor student who
has an old cell phone without picture capabilities. Your alien friend has
heard of a place and wants to know if your picture is from that place.
Look on the back of your picture to find out where your alien friend thinks
the picture is from. Since your alien friend has not traveled far on Earth,
she/he may be very wrong; that is your alien friend may think that all
mountains look alike and not realize that different mountains have
different types of vegetation. Your task is to determine if the alien is
correct; that is you must make a visual analysis. To do so, you must
research the appearance of the place on the back of your picture and
find if it looks like your picture. Be very careful when you compare
the pictures. Be very specific in your explanation of why you think the
picture is from that place or why it is not from that place. Remember that
your alien friend can not see the picture so you will need to describe the
picture and the actual area. This type of analysis and the verbal
compare/contrast are the main components of the CCRPP. Keep your
references because you will need them for AA3. Attach your TYPED
answer to the picture with a paper clip when submitting the assignment.
To earn the 50 points, you must make a clear, verbal comparison/contrast
supporting your conclusion that your alien friend was right or wrong about
the location of your picture.
Alien Assignment Three (AA3):
Your good alien friend is very ill with intergalactic influenza, a.k.a. a very
bad flu, and needs help with her/his homework; this type of helping is
accepted in the alien world but not here at Chaffey. The alien’s
assignment is to write a brief paragraph with citations and references
about a place on Earth. You have agreed to write a paragraph about
the picture you have been discussing. The big problem is the alien is
required to use formal, scientific Alienese and the alien GSA format for
citations and references. To get the universal translator to translate this
correctly, you will need to write in formal, scientific English and use GSA
format. This will be more difficult but your good friend is really counting on
you. Besides, all you really need to do is translate informal English into
formal, scientific English which is third person. Then add citations to the
body of the paper where you have paraphrased the material you
referenced; do not use quotes. After that, list the reference(s) cited at the
end of your paragraph in the alien GSA format. If you need help, tutoring
is an accepted custom at Chaffey! See the English tutors for help with
sentences and your SI for help with GSA format. Remember that both
people have limited time so visit early and often! One visit probably won’t
get you all the help you need. Submit your TYPED answer with the scene
attached on the back by the infamous paper clip.
To earn the complete 50 points, it will need to be succinct, cite correctly,
have the GSA reference listing, and have copies of the references
included; if you don’t know what succinct means, look it up. There is no
specific number or type of references needed for this assignment except
that no encyclopedia is accepted. The GSA format is explained in the
CCRPP handout. Written descriptions and citations are major
components of the CCRPP assignment; references must be given in GSA
format for the CCRPP assignment.
Note: geologists are the only people on campus that use this format and it
is different from others used on campus. Different formats are a fact of life
so come and get help.