I. A list of key words (at least ten)

II. A paragraph explaining what your topic is and why it interests you.

III. An annotated list of at least ten bibliography items.

1. Algee, B. and Smokey the Bear. "There was a bear." The Zoo Review, Vol. 3, March, 1990: 33-34.

• Annotation: This is a nostalgic story about a beloved old bear in the San Diego Zoo, that includes three photos of the bear, Algernon, and his descendants. 

• Evaluation: The Zoo Review is published by the National Zoological Society, so it should be reliable. Some of the information on Algernon's diet is interesting. I also liked the part about how zookeepers tried to get Algernon to exercise--no luck! It also has some useful bibliography of other articles that I want to find and read.

• Explanation of Use: I will use the photos of Algernon in my report and I also want to write about the San Diego Zoo, so this will be useful for that section of my report.

2. Hubbard, M. "There was a Bear in my Cupboard." Big Bear Information Page. 1994. [http://www.cal.bruin.porridge.org] (22 July 1995).

• Annotation: A little old lady complains about the cost of feeding a bear who lived in her cupboard and ate all her groceries until her cupboard was bare. Included are photos of the bear, the bare cupboard, and a table on the nutritional requirements of bears versus little old ladies.

• Evaluation: Another article that is not particularly scholarly. All sorts of weird stuff shows up on this Big Bear Information Page. Nonetheless, the nutritional information is interesting. I need to see if I can find supporting evidence in a more scholarly source.

• Explanation of Use:  I will probably want to use this one in my study of bears' eating habits, although I will need other sources to confirm the information here.

3. Panda, E. "Are Pandas True Bears?" 1999. [http://www.brown.bear.talk.com] (12 December 2001).

• Annotation: Mr. Panda argues that even if pandas are not exactly genetic bears, they are spiritual bears and deserve to be treated with all the respect of true bears.

• Evaluation: This article includes a lot of silly stuff about panda bears being better than teddy bears for children's toys. Rather pandocentric, I think, but what can you expect from a discussion group run by bears? 

• Explanation of Use: This will be useful because it gives the bears' points of view, while most sources just give human points of view. Refreshing. Since I want to sensitize my readers to how bears feel about the world, I'll use this in that section.

4. -------. "Spring time in the Rockies." Fauna Journal, February 21, 1988: 18-32. [http://www.bear.va.etexts.org] (20 May 2001).

• Annotation: This presents a bear's view of the pleasures of spring in the mountains, and the irritations of having hikers and campers bothering one just because the weather's turned nice. The author is a strong advocate of keeping people out of the national parks. Included are several useful tables about spring temperatures related to the density of campers and which sorts of cars contain the most delicious foods. Important article for campers.

• Evaluation: Although I enjoyed the article, I don't really think it is supported by research. However, it's not every day that you can read a bear's essay on campers, so it's worth keeping, if only for a charming example or two. 

• Explanation of Use: Because my topic is the use of national parks for the sake of happy bears, this will work, even though I still need more academic information. Like the entry above, it will help me to show readers how bears feel about life, parks, and such.

5. Zinnia, Susan B., Ph.D. "Nutritional Requirements of Pandas in the Wild." USDA Review, January 10, 2001: 25-70. [http://www.USDA.gov] (16 June 2001).

• Annotation: Finally I've found a scholarly article on panda diet in the wild. Bamboo is the mainstay of their diet, and it takes them all day to eat enough to stay healthy and happy. Curiously, their intestines and teeth are more suited to a carnivore's diet. I wonder why these cute bears went veggie?

• Evaluation: I will need to find some other material on panda diet in zoos. I went to the National Zoo in May, 2001, and the panda keeper told me that they used to feed meat to pandas, but it made them fat, lazy and mean! I would like to find a print source for this, too. However, this article has an impeccable source and is very current.

• Explanation of Use: I want to use this article to support my argument about how humans treat bears as if they (the humans) knew what was best for the bears. Just because meat makes pandas fat and ornery does NOT mean that humans should have the right to decide what the pandas are allowed to eat.