Literature Report
Each semester students in Physics and Chemistry classes are required to submit two literature
reviews.
Science is not all analytical study and facts. Moral and ethical questions are faced by scientists
every day. Science is not always about “can we” but often finds itself asking itself “should we”.
Through the literature studies and reviews students will investigate the moral and ethical core of
science. Though some of the stories may seem far-fetched or highly unlikely, they all have
central themes and a moral core.
Each Literature review will count as a test grade. They will each be due on or before the dates
listed below. If papers are turned in early and time allows they will be checked and returned so
that any necessary corrections could be made if the student desires.
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Literature Review No. 1 due by October 20, 2016
Literature Review No. 2 due by December 1, 2016
Literature Review No. 3 due by March 16, 2017
Literature Review No. 4 due by May 8, 2017
There will also be opportunities for students to view movies that also have a science basis and a
strong moral or ethical core. Extra credit reports over these videos may also be done at a rate of
once per six weeks period. These reports will follow the same directions and format as the
literature review.
Some texts will be available in the school library but most will not. The student can contact the
Waco-McLennan County Library for assistance in checking out copies of the books or possibly
audio copies. If they desire they may also look into purchasing either physical or digital copies as
well. I will have a limited supply of some of these books that may also be checked out.
Contact information for the Waco-McLennan County Library is:
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Central Library
1717 Austin Ave
West Waco Library 5301 Bosque Blvd #275
South Waco Library 2737 S 18th St
254-750-5943
254-745-6018
254-750-8621
Website: http://www.waco-texas.com/cms-library/
All papers will be turned in using the “Turn-it-in” system.
If a paper has more than a 25% plagiarism rating without proper citations then it will not be
counted.
The views expressed in the books on this list do not necessarily express the views of the
instructor or Bosqueville ISD. It is the student’s responsibility to research the various titles and
to choose the best books for them to read throughout the year. If the student is offended by a
book in any way (since some of the works include mature themes or subject matter – for
example, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep or Invasive Procedures) it is the student’s
responsibility to select another book and complete the assignment before the deadline set at the
beginning of the class.
Approved Literature Texts Include:
General Science/Chemistry
Biology Themes
Andromeda Strain by Michael
Crichton
Red Mars by Kim Stanley
Robinson
Starship Troopers by Robert
Heinlein
Ender’s Game by Orson S. Card
Speaker for the Dead (sequel to
Ender’s Game) by Orson S. Card
– Can be read only after Ender’s
Game
Empire by Orson S. Card
Solaris By Staislaw Lem
Death from the Skies! By Phil
Plait
Encounters with the Archdruid by
John McPhee
Hidden Empire (sequel to
Empire) by Orson S. Card
Make Room! Make Room! by
Harry Harrison
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Falling Free by Lois McMaster
Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep by Phillip K Dick
Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Isle of Dr. Moreau by H.G.
Wells
Jurassic Park by Michael
Crichton
Charles & Emma by Heiligman
Next by Michael Crichton
Invasive Procedures by Orson S.
Card
The Echo Maker by Richard
Powers
The Coming Plague by Laurie
Garrett
The Immortal Life of Henrietta
Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Regenesis by George Church
Parasite by Mira Grant
Physics Themes
Contact by Carl Sagan
Simulacron-3 or Counterfeit
World by Daniel F. Galouye
Rocket Boys by Homer
Hickam
I, Robot by Asimov
Asimov on Physics by
Asimov
Micro by Michael Crichton
Physics of the Impossible by
Michio Kaku
Demon in the Freezer by
The Origin of the Species by
Charles Darwin
Some of these books may also count towards required readings for English/History.
(Look for the underlined titles)
PAPER OVERVIEW: (FICTION)
The Main Body:
 General Format:
o Times New Roman (12 pt) font (everything except the cover page)
o Double spaced (this means one space between each line! Not two or three.)
o Grammar and Spelling – If I catch it then it will be marked off (1/4 point each)
o Length – as long as it needs to be
o Correct cover page, header, titles, sourcing, and works cited page as indicated
o If the format is not followed it may not be graded.
Cover Page:
Each paper will require a cover page with the following information.
(5 points)

A header:
o At the left margin: RUNNING HEAD: (Author last name)’s Title of Selection
o At the right margin will be the page number: 1
Be sure in the option bar to select “different first page”

In the upper half of the page the following information needs to centered and boldface
with a space between each line:
Reviewing
(Author last name)’s Title of Selection
Your Name
Class (Period Number)

At the bottom of the page the date should be centered and boldface:
Month Day, Year

General Outline
Header: For the first page of the actual review and every following paper the header should have:
 At the left margin - (Author last name)’s Title of Selection
 At the right margin – the sequential page numbers (2, 3, 4, etc)
At the start of the paper
 Book Citation (APA format)
o Use the Perdu Owl website or Bibme.com for help.
o If it is not included the paper will not be graded.
(10 points)

INTRODUCTION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(5 points)
o Should include the Author, the title of the book, the published date.
o Should also have any background information you might wish to include to
explain development or creation of work (Be sure to add source if not from the
book or movie).
o Refer to Perdue Owl or Bibme.com for assistance with APA style referencing.

SUMMARY (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
o Summarize the book in six (6) sentences.
o No more and no less.

KEY TERMS (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o List and define five (5) key terms you learned during the reading process.
o Include the page where they were found and the sentence that they were used in.

KEY PASSAGES (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(20 points)
o Cite four (4) key passages in the book that had a major impact on plot
development related to science or for you personally.
o Copy the passage and place it in quotes. Be sure to cite it correctly by indicating,
in parenthesis ( ) the page where it was found.
o Give a brief explanation (three to four sentences) of why it is important.
o Each passage and response should be its own paragraph.
(10 points)

GOOD SCIENCE (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(15 points)
o List and describe three (3) examples of good or correct science.
o Each example should be its own paragraph.
o Each paragraph should describe how it was used, why it was in the story, etc.

BAD SCIENCE (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o List and describe two (2) examples of bad or incorrect science.
o Each example should be its own paragraph.
o Each paragraph should describe how it was used, why it was in the story, etc.

QUESTION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(5 points)
o Write a question that you would like to know based on the reading.
o Could be a general question or something specific directed at a character.
o It should relate to science or the moral/ethics with science

CONCLUSION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o Provide the moral of the story and what you took away (learned) from it or what
you think the author was trying to convey.
Works Cited Page
 If you use any sources other than the book then you will need to create a works cited
page.
 This will be a separate page from the rest of the review and should have the title
“References” that will be centered and bold face.
 The book will be listed again as well as any additional sources.
 These should be placed in alphabetical order and in MLA/APA format.
 If additional sources are used and not cited then the paper will be considered plagiarized
and a zero will be earned.
PAPER OVERVIEW: (NON-FICTION)
The Main Body:
 General Format:
o Times New Roman (12 pt) font (everything except the cover page)
o Double spaced (this means one space between each line! Not two or three.)
o Grammar and Spelling – If I catch it then it will be marked off (1/4 point each)
o Length – as long as it needs to be
o Correct cover page, header, titles, sourcing, and works cited page as indicated
o If the format is not followed it may not be graded.
Cover Page:
Each paper will require a cover page with the following information.
(5 points)

A header:
o At the left margin: RUNNING HEAD: (Author last name)’s Title of Selection
o At the right margin will be the page number: 1
Be sure in the option bar to select “different first page”

In the upper half of the page the following information needs to centered and boldface
with a space between each line:
Reviewing
(Author last name)’s Title of Selection
Your Name
Class (Period Number)

At the bottom of the page the date should be centered and boldface:
Month Day, Year

General Outline
Header: For the first page of the actual review and every following paper the header should have:
 At the left margin - (Author last name)’s Title of Selection
 At the right margin – the sequential page numbers (2, 3, 4, etc)
At the start of the paper
 Book Citation (APA format)
o Use the Perdu Owl website or Bibme.com for help.
o If it is not included the paper will not be graded.
(10 points)

INTRODUCTION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(5 points)
o Should include the Author, the title of the book, the published date.
o Should also have any background information you might wish to include to
explain development or creation of work (Be sure to add source if not from the
book or movie).
o Refer to Perdue Owl or Bibme.com for assistance with APA style referencing.

SUMMARY (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
o Summarize the book in six (6) sentences.
o No more and no less.

KEY TERMS (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o List and define five (5) key terms you learned during the reading process.
o Include the page where they were found and the sentence that they were used in.

KEY PASSAGES (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(20 points)
o Cite four (4) key passages in the book that had a major impact on plot
development related to science or for you personally.
o Copy the passage and place it in quotes. Be sure to cite it correctly by indicating,
in parenthesis ( ) the page where it was found.
o Give a brief explanation (three to four sentences) of why it is important.
o Each passage and response should be its own paragraph.
(10 points)

GOOD SCIENCE (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(15 points)
o List and describe three (3) examples of good or correct science.
o Each example should be its own paragraph.
o Each sentence should describe how it was used, why it was in the story, the
impact it had, the reason it was done, etc.

Struggles (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o List and describe two (2) examples of struggles or conflict in the story.
o Each example should be its own paragraph.
o Each should describe how it impacted the story and why it was a point of conflict.
o You may use your own feelings or ideas for this part.

QUESTION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(5 points)
o Write a question that you would like to know based on the reading.
o Could be a general question or something specific directed at a character or the
author.
o It should relate to science or the moral/ethics with science

CONCLUSION (At the left margin, all capital letters, boldface)
(10 points)
o Provide the moral of the story and what you took away (learned) from it or what
you think the author was trying to convey.
Works Cited Page
 If you use any sources other than the book then you will need to create a works cited
page.
 This will be a separate page from the rest of the review and should have the title
“References” that will be centered and bold face.
 The book will be listed again as well as any additional sources.
 These should be placed in alphabetical order and in MLA/APA format.
 If additional sources are used and not cited then the paper will be considered plagiarized
and a zero will be earned.