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Science Methods: Elementary
SEC6117

College of Education and Human Resources, University of North Florida

Location:  Andrew Robinson Elementary               Tuesdays, 4:30-7:20 PM

Instructor: Dr. Terry Cavanaugh

Office: 11/1335         Office Hours: Tuesdays 7:30 PM and by appointment

Phone: 904-620-2764          Email: tcavanau@unf.edu

Required text:

Martin, Sexton and Gerlovich (2002). Science for All Children: Methods for Constructing Understanding, 2^nd edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Project 2061 (1989), Science for All Americans.  Oxford University Press. (available online at: http://www.project2061.org/tools/sfaaol/sfaatoc.htm, or ask your instructor for an alternate version)

The Florida Pre-K to 12 Curriculum Frameworks: Science. (1996). State of Florida, Department of Education.
Online at http://www.firn.edu/doe/curric/prek12/frame2.htm  , and available on CD-ROM from the Educational Technology Center in Building 9

Course website: at http://blackboard.unf.edu

Purpose:  This course is designed to develop competencies in selecting methods, resources, and assessment strategies for teaching elementary science. The purpose of this course is to prepare elementary education students to become teachers of science to elementary students, through:

Ø       Developing an understanding of child development related to constructing scientific knowledge

Ø       Enhancing subject matter knowledge, emphasizing science concepts taught in elementary classrooms

Ø       Developing pedagogical knowledge: how to teach science, plan lessons, select strategies and activities, organize the classroom, connect science to other content areas, assess learning, integrate technology

Ø       Teaching and observing science in action, confidently and enthusiastically

Ø       Managing hands-on, minds-on science successfully and safely

The following concepts are a framework for the course.

Ø       Teachers are committed to students and their learning.

Ø       Science is important for all students.

Ø       Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to lead students in learning those subjects.

Ø       There are many ways to teach elementary science well, but learning science has to be an active process: children learn science by doing science.

Ø       There are principles based on theory, research and experience to guide elementary science teaching.

Ø       Teachers are responsible for managing student learning.

Ø       Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.

Ø       Teachers are members of learning communities.

Course objectives:

Ø       Demonstrate knowledge, comprehension, application, and evaluation of appropriate strategies and models for the teaching of science.

Ø       Demonstrate understanding of the problem-solving process, knowledge of problem-solving skills and strategies, their application in teaching, and an awareness of one?s own problem-solving abilities.

Ø       Demonstrate proficiency in performance of basic and integrated science process skills and analyze the results of a process-oriented approach.

Ø       Demonstrate knowledge of various forms of assessment in science education, and an understanding of assessment strategies to use with students with special needs including language minority students.

Ø       Demonstrate knowledge and application of technology as tools in the learning process.

Ø       Demonstrate a variety of instructional strategies for teaching selected topics in the elementary curriculum.

Ø       Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of state and national standards on the teaching of science.

Ø       Demonstrate cross-curricular integration of science with other disciplines.

Ø       Demonstrate an understanding of how children, including special needs students and language minority students learn science.

Ø       Examine trends in approaches to science learning and teaching.

Ø       Explore and use resources, which enhance the teaching and learning of science.

Please notify the instructor within the first week if a reasonable accommodation to a disability is needed for this course. A letter from the Student Disability Office must accompany this request.

Assignments and Course Requirements

1. Professional Conduct

Read assignments and engage in a positive way in all class discussions and activities. On-time attendance is required. Know and follow university policy regarding academic honesty. Demonstrate safe practices. In your online work, follow standards of netiquette: be accountable for what you send, acknowledge online sources you reference.

2. Concept Mapping Activity

Because science is conceptual subject, it is important for learners to have tools for developing concepts. Concept mapping is a valuable tool in determining a student’s current cognitive status, and for helping students? concepts to mature. Create a concept map that illustrates a concept taught at the elementary level in science. You will work with model concept maps in class and in your text.

3. Lesson Plan and Unit Plan

Your lesson plans should be developed as described in the lesson plan guidelines. Plans may focus on any science concept. The formal lesson plan must include a hands-on component. An important step in the formal lesson process will be reflection on teaching. The lesson plan is an individual project. The thematic unit plan is a group project focused on a set of science concepts. You will teach one activity from the unit plan in class as a mini-lesson.

4. Professional Development

Attend one of the science education professional development workshops that are developed.  Write up a reflection of your experiences concerning what you have learned and your plan for including in your teaching/classroom.

5. Science Education Issue Paper

Science and education, as human endeavors, change constantly. In order to develop skills in investigating current trends in science education, you will choose an issue in science education to explore in depth. Use a range of current sources to research the issue, synthesize your findings into a paper, and include your response to the findings.

6. Portfolio

Your course portfolio is a reflective tool that integrates and describes your experiences with course activities in and out of class. Keep a regular log describing your reactions, analysis, self-evaluation, and wonder about science and teaching. Record responses to class activities as soon as possible after class. The length of portfolio entries will vary. Also include summary statements that unify themes in your portfolio. See the attached portfolio guide for more information about portfolio structure and assessment.

7. Forum Discussion and Online Participation

You are expected to stay current with the online portion of the class and take part regularly in the discussions and other online activities, at http://blackboard.unf.edu . New discussion topics will be added weekly.

Grading Structure

1. Professional Conduct is necessary to earn an excellent or good grade.

2. Concept Mapping                               5

3. Lesson Plan                                      15

4. Thematic Unit Plan and Mini-Lesson    20

5 Professional Development                    15

6. Issue Paper                                       15

7. Portfolio                                             20

8. Forum                                               10

All written work must be typed or word-processed, except for forms.

Late work will only be accepted with a medical or legal excuse.

A = 90-100        A: Excellent performance; no more than one unexcused absence

B = 80-89          B: Good performance; no more than two unexcused absences

C = 70-79          C: Fair performance; fulfillment of basic requirements

D = 60-69          D: Poor performance; lack of basic criteria

Florida Accomplished Practices for Professional Educators of the 21^st Century

ASSESSMENT: Uses assessment strategies (traditional and alternate) to assist the continuous development of the learner.

 COMMUNICATION: Uses effective communication techniques with students and all other stakeholders.

 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Engages in continuous professional quality improvement for self and school.

 CRITICAL THINKING: Uses appropriate techniques and strategies that promote and enhance critical, creative, and evaluative thinking capabilities of students.

 DIVERSITY: Uses teaching and learning strategies that reflect each student's culture, learning styles, special needs, and socio-economic background.

 ETHICS: Adheres to Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education.

 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING: Uses an understanding of learning and human development to provide a positive learning environment that supports the intellectual, personal, and social development of all students.

 KNOWLEDGE SUBJECT MATTER: Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

 LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: Creates and maintains positive learning environments in which students are actively engaged in learning, social interaction, cooperative learning and self-motivation.

  PLANNING: Plans, implements, and evaluates effective instruction in a variety of learning environments.

 ROLE OF THE TEACHER: Works with various education professionals, parents, and other stakeholders in the continuous improvement of the educational experiences of students.

 TECHNOLOGY: Uses appropriate technology in teaching and learning processes.

Tentative Class Schedule

SFAC: Science for All Children; SFAA: Science for all Americans; FCF Florida Curriculum Frameworks

Assignment Descriptions and Rubrics

Concept Map Assignment:

Your concept map illustrates visually the topics that relate to a broad science concept. The illustration shows details about the relationships among the topics. Choose a main concept from the list here, and organize topics below. Rank topics from general to more specific. Connect topics with links that describe their relationship. Because your lesson plan will require a concept map, it is recommended that you begin learning about your lesson plan topic with this concept map assignment.

Elementary science concepts:

Physical Science:

Ø       Matter: properties, measurement, states, chemical reactions, elements

Ø       Motion: force, machines, gravity, speed, sound

Ø       Energy: light, heat, electricity, magnetism, transfer of energy

Life Science:

Ø       Characteristics of organisms: classification, environments, structures, cells, disease

Ø       Life cycles: heredity, reproduction, genetics, adaptations, evolution, extinction

Ø       Environments: food webs, resources, change, energy sources, populations

Earth and Space Science:

Ø       Earth: land, landforms, water, sky, change, geologic history, climate

Ø       Sky: solar system, motion, gravity, solar energy, weather

Concept Map Rubric: (5 points)

Lesson Plan and Unit Plan Guide:

As a member of a group, you will develop a unit of learning experiences centered around a common theme.  Each group member will be evaluated on the unit as a whole and on the group’s presentation of an example mini-lesson from the unit.  You will choose one lesson from the unit which you’ve had primary responsibility for writing, and you will be evaluated on that lesson.

The unit plan will include:

Ø       A rationale for the theme

Ø       An overview of the audience, scope and sequence of lessons

Ø       A concept map

Ø       A visual activity organizer map or chart

Ø       At least 6 lessons fully outlined and including handout sheets.  At least one lesson has special needs adaptations.  At least two lessons integrate content from nonscience subjects. At least three lessons have hands-on activities. At least one lesson is based on concepts from a MOSH exhibit or demonstration.

Ø       A range of student assessment strategies, including at least one rubric

Ø       A list of the contributions of each group member

Lesson Plan Checklist:

Ø       Lesson title

Ø       Purpose paragraph describing lesson conceptual objectives, importance, rationale, sequence, and intended learning outcomes

Ø       Connections to Sunshine State Standards

Ø       Materials needed by teacher and students

Ø       Safety and management guidelines

Ø       Lesson introduction specifying expected duration of events, important questions for discussion, relation to prior knowledge and how knowledge in this lesson will be developed in future lessons

Ø       Development of lesson, including hook or invitation, description of events, the teacher?s role and student activities, application of the learning cycle

Ø       Lesson closure, detailing how lesson will conclude, and connections to other content

Ø       Assessments of learning, demonstrating how you will know that the intended learning outcome has been achieved.

Unit and Mini-Lesson Evaluation Rubric: (20 points)

Lesson Plan Evaluation Rubric: 15 Points

Before you begin planning the lesson ask yourself:

Ø       Is the lesson I have selected, student centered or teacher centered? If it is teacher centered, how can I revise it to be more student centered?

Ø       What learning goals do I want the students to accomplish as a result of experiencing this lesson?

Ø       What materials are needed to accomplish this lesson: ideally, practically?

Ø       How will I hook students? What strategy will be my invitation to learn or motivation?

As you plan think about the following:

Ø       How will this lesson relate to students? every day experiences? How will this lesson relate to what they already know and understand so that knowledge construction will be facilitated?

Ø       How much time is needed for students to complete the lesson, inquire, experiment, and reflect?

Ø       What choices will the children have in the materials they use or what they do with them?

Ø       What kind of data will be collected - do the children know how to collect data of this sort or is a direct instruction mini-lesson needed before they can begin?

Ø       Exactly what can I say to the children to challenge them to be scientists and explore the problem?

Ø       How will I assist children to make sense of knowledge they have generated from their experience?

Ø       What questions can I ask to encourage children to think about what they have done, how they have organized their data and how the data can be interpreted?

Ø       What questions can I ask to encourage children to analyze, synthesize and critically reflect on what they have done and what they have learned?

Ø       How will I assess whether the goals set for the lesson have been achieved by the students?

Professional Development Assignment

Following a professional development activity in science written summary will be turned in.

Professional Development Note Format

Name

Date of Activity

Title of Activity:

Presenter Name and Location

Start and end time of professional development

Topic or concept observed

Activities and processes observed

State Science standards addressed

Materials used (technology, handouts, books, assessments, manipulatives, other)

Assessment methods used

Management techniques related to safety, adaptations for diverse learners, interdisciplinary connections

Reflections and other notes

Analysis of instructional strategies and effectiveness of lesson for students

Interview/discussion with at least two teachers about:

Professional Development Evaluation Rubric: (15 points)

Issue Paper Assignment:

Your issue paper will describe an issue in science education. Possible issues may be:

Ø       Gender differences in science interest and achievement

Ø       Authentic assessment of science learning

Ø       Safety concerns in science classrooms

Ø       Adaptation of science lessons for diverse learners

Ø       Current and future trends in elementary science education

Ø       Status of standardized high-stakes tests for science

Ø       Review of science education programs internationally

Ø       Features of highly effective science teachers/programs

Ø       Altering misconceptions in science

Ø       What is science literacy?

Ø       The role of concept maps in learning science

Ø       How science standards impact science teaching

Ø       The value of learning science outside the classroom

Ø       Effective technology for learning science

In a 4-6 page double-spaced paper using 12-point font, define the issue you are investigating.  Discuss the importance of the issue to children, teachers, parents, and society. Read reports from a variety of sources, including a balance of print and electronic media. Make sense of the different viewpoints on the issue and communicate them clearly.  Use the information you’ve read to make recommendations about how the issue should be handled, including your own viewpoint. Use standard APA or MLA style to list at least four references for the paper.

Issue Paper Evaluation Rubric: (15 points)

Portfolio Assignment:

Your portfolio will be a systematic collection of evidence presented to demonstrate what you have learned and how you learned it. At the end of the course, decide what to include and what it means for you as a science teacher. Some evidence will be responses to your experiences. The main purpose of this portfolio is for you to show your evolving knowledge of how you can guide successful student learning of science concepts. Using the portfolio, you will show your emerging understanding of the complexities of science teaching, and you will link theory to practice.

At the completion of the course, your task will be to select items that show your initial understanding of student science learning, and how your understanding has grown. Evidence can include discussions, forum entries, assignments, classroom observations, responses to readings, interviews, your mini-lesson, and observations of children at play.

Types of Evidence:

Artifacts are documents produced as part of your normal course work, such as papers, field notes, or recordings. Reproductions are documents about course events, such as transcripts or tapes of discussions. Attestations are documents about your course work written by someone else, such as comments by the instructor, classmates, or forum participants. Document is used loosely here, and can include notes, drafts, journals, drawings, photos, recordings, and digital files.

The Importance of a Teaching Portfolio

The main reason to assemble a portfolio is for your personal growth and development as a teacher. The evidence contained in the portfolio will show you where your strengths are, and will reveal areas where your teaching would benefit from more work. Another important purpose of a portfolio is to demonstrate to others the kind of teacher you have become. Your portfolio is the best voice you have in job interviews, certification reviews, grant applications, and award nominations. Increasingly, states and districts require portfolios for teacher evaluation. When working on National Board certification, the portfolio is essential.

The goal of the teaching portfolio is to develop continual, reflective excellence as a guide for student learning. The purpose of your portfolio is to illustrate who you are now as an educator, how you reached this point, and who you want to be. The portfolio should be a reflection of your current and emerging self as a professional teacher. It should carefully and thoughtfully document a set of accomplishments attained during the semester. Each entry should illustrate your accomplishments.

Entries can include:

Ø       papers, field notes, or recordings.

Ø       transcripts or tapes of discussions.

Ø       comments by the instructor, classmates, or forum participants.

Ø       notes, drafts, journals, drawings, photos, recordings, and digital files.

Each entry must be accompanied by a rationale that explains why the material was chosen and why it serves as evidence of your skill. Each entry must also include a reflection, a written statement about each example that answers some of the following questions:

• What did you learn from this experience?

• What do you understand now that you did not understand before?

• What impact will this have on your teaching?

• What obstacles did you encounter and overcome?

• How did others respond?

Criteria for Developing and Assessing a Professional Portfolio

Ø       Your name and the title Portfolio must appear on the cover.

Ø       Written documents must be word-processed.

Ø       Appropriate grammar, spelling, and sentence structure must be used.

Ø       A Table of Contents must be included.

Ø       A rationale and reflection must accompany each entry.

Examples of rationale:

Ø       This ___ was selected to represent ___ because ?

Ø       It is an innovative approach.

Ø       It was effective at accomplishing ___

Ø       It demonstrated the instructional strategies of ___

Ø       It is a real-world application of ___

Ø       It shows why a science teacher should/should not ____

Examples of reflection:

Ø       From this experience, I learned ___ about students/education/teaching.

Ø       I now understand more clearly ___.

Ø       Using this approach has made me decide to ___ or change ____.

Ø       A challenge facing me was ____.

Ø       The students benefited because ____.

Ø       My colleagues felt _____, and now they _____.

Resources for Elementary Science:

Activities:

• Bosak, S. 1991. Science Is? Ontario, Canada: The Communication Project.

• AIMS: Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science. http://www.aimsed.org  888-733-2467.

• GEMS: Great Explorations in Math and Science. http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/gems/GEMS.html 

Journals:

• Elementary School Science Journal of Elementary Science Education, http://science.coe.uwf.edu/JESE/JESE.HTM

• School Science and Mathematics, School Science and Mathematics Association, Department of Curriculum and Foundations, Bloomsburg University, 400 E. Second St., Bloomsburg, PA  17815-1301  (717) 389-4915

• Science and Children, NSTA, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000 (703) 243-7100  http://www.nsta.org

• Science Education Directory of Periodicals: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/rtess/8.html

Professional Organizations:

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publishers of Science Education News and Science for All Americans. http://www.aaas.org  1333 H St., NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 326-6400

• Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST)

• National Science Foundation, Directorate for Education and Human Resources,  http://www.nsf.org  4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230 (703) 306-1600

• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000 (703) 243-7100  http://www.nsta.org

• Directory of Organizations and Resources: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/rtess/10.html

Web:

• Resources for Teaching Elementary Science, National Academy Press, http://bob.nap.edu/readingroom/books/rtess

• Also at National Academy Press  http://www.nap.edu
  Science for All Children, Every Child a Scientist, National Science Education Standards, How People Learn

• Ask ERIC Lesson Plans  http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/Lessons

• Ask the Experts at Scientific American  http://www.sciam.com/askexpert/index.html

• Assessing the Whole Child, CRESST http://www.cse.ucla.edu/CRESST/pages/products.htm

• Beakman’s World http://www.beakman.com

• Eisenhower National Clearinghouse, for K-12 math and science  http://www.enc.org

• ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Math, and Environmental Education, http://www.ericse.org/

• Mad Scientist Network  http://www.madsci.org

• NASA Observatorium for Earth and Space  http://www.observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/core.shtml

• NASA Spacelink http://spacelink.nasa.gov/.index.html

• Newton’s Apple http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons

• Science Questions and Answers  http://www.last-word.com

• Science Technology Daily Review  http://SciTech.com

• Science Toys  http://scitoys.com/net4kids.html

• Sunshine State Standards http://www.firn.edu/doe/menu/sss.htm

• US Geological Survey education site http://www.usgs.gov/education

• Volcano World  http://volcano.und.nodak.edu

• Weather Classroom  http://www.weather.com/education

• Yucky Page http://www.yucky.com

Portfolio Assessment Rubric

Last updated 03/13/04