Module 5 Discussion Board

Background information
In this discussion board, we will continue to analyze the journal article “You are what you eat…at least, your brain is?”.
Review the different sections of a journal article below:

 Title: short statement that describes the question being answered

 Abstract: summary of the article
 Introduction: introduces the article and contains current information on what is known about the topic,
which will lead to further explanation of the researcher’s question
 Methods: how the study was performed
 Results: data from the study – usually includes tables and graphs
 Discussion/Conclusion: interprets the results relating to the original question
 References: list of literary sources used in the article

Instructions

Part 1: Initial post (60 points)

Your initial post (response) will contain three parts which are explained below. Please be sure to number each part
in your post.

1) Go to the website “Science in the Classroom” and pull up the article “You are what you eat…at least, your brain is”:
(opens in new window). For this assignment, you will focus only on the results and conclusion (these can be found
in the “report” section).

 Finish reading this article (everything left in the report that you haven’t read yet).
 On the left side of the website, you will see a gray box titled “learning lens.” Click on the orange box beside
“results and conclusions” (a check will appear). This will highlight some of the more difficult information in the
results and conclusion. Hovering over these will give you more detail.
 Click on the yellow box beside “glossary” (a check will appear). This will highlight specific terms in yellow. List
and define the following terms:
i) Model system
ii) Fecal transfer
iii) Short chain fatty acids
iv) Flow phase
v) Positive control

2) What were three things that you learned?

3) In your own words, summarize the conclusion. Be sure to address if the scientist answered their original question.
 Your summary should be at least 100 words.

Part 2: Responses (40 points)

You will reply to two classmates’ initial posts.
 For your replies, you will comment on your classmates’ conclusion summary and compare it to yours.
Were your summaries similar? Did you interpret anything differently? What information did you struggle
with? Did your classmate explain something well?
 Your replies should be at least 75 words each.
Discussion Board Rubric
Use this rubric as you write your initial post and respond to your peers. This is the same rubric that I will use to grade.

 Initial Post – 60 total pts

o Part 1: Term definitions = 15 pts
 15 pts = All terms are correctly defined
 10 pts = 2-3 terms are correctly defined or there are minor mistakes in definitions
 5 pts = 1-2 terms are correctly defined or there are multiple mistakes in definitions
 0 pts = Terms were not defined or did not follow directions
o Part 2: Facts you learned = 10 pts
 10 pts = Listed three facts that you learned
 7 pts = Missing 1 fact
 4 pts = Missing 2 facts
 0 pts = Did not complete this part or did not follow directions
o Part 3: Conclusion Summary = 30 pts
 30 pts = Summary reflects complete understanding of conclusion; included all main
points; appropriate length
 20 pts = Summary reflects moderate understanding of conclusion; 1-2 main points were
missed; inappropriate length (short by 20 words or less)
 10 pts = Summary reflects minimal understanding of conclusion; main points are
missing; inappropriate length (short by 30 words or less)
 0 pts = Conclusion summary was missing or did not follow directions
o Grammar and Spelling = 5 pts
 5 pts = No grammatical and spelling errors
 4 pts = 1-3 grammatical and spelling errors
 2 pts = 4-6 grammatical and spelling errors
 0 pts = 7 or more grammatical and spelling errors
 Replies – 40 total pts
o Replies 1 = 20 pts
 20 pts = Appropriate length with insightful comments
 14 pts = Minor errors in response length or comments
 7 pts = Inappropriate response length or comments
 0 pts = Did not respond to classmate’s post
o Replies 2 = 20 pts
 20 pts = Appropriate length with insightful comments
 14 pts = Minor errors in response length or comments
 7 pts = Inappropriate response length or comments
 0 pts = Did not respond to classmate’s post