EDTE 523B: Curriculum Theory and Practice: Science

Course Description

This course examines the principles and practices of elementary school instruction in science within the context of democratic classroom practice. It includes application of national and state standards to planning curriculum and assessment, as well as selection and implementation of appropriate instructional strategies, resources, materials, and electronic teaching technologies to meet the educational needs of diverse student populations. This course is a Multiple Subject Program course and is not applicable to a master’s degree program.

Prerequisite: Conditional admission to Professional Preparation Program

Goals

Candidates will acquire familiarity with the recently adopted California Next Generation Science Standards and resources for teaching elementary science.
Candidates will extend their understanding of the Plan-Teach-Assess-Reflect cycle as they develop components of the cycle for effective elementary science education.
Candidates will learn to use science education experiences to promote the English language development of learners.
Candidates will understand how effective science education contributes to student learning across curricular areas and helps elementary students develop as democratic citizens.

Course Modality

This class is face-to-face on campus.

This is a very hands-on 2 credit course in which pre-service teachers learn how to teach science at the elementary school level. Attendance and participation are both very important in this course as students are learning by doing science and going on field trips.

Course Design

This is a face-to-face weekend course that meets 3 Friday nights and 3 Saturdays- It works out to 9 sessions with each Saturday having two sessions.

Each of the sessions focuses on a different topic for teaching elementary school science including field trips.

Student Engagement & Feedback

We start with icebreakers and group science activities to get to know each other.

Engagement with the course material: Students DO hands-on science during each of the course sessions.

Group work: Students are engaged in group work throughout the course.

Assessment of Student Learning

Course Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

describe, use and apply the recently adopted California Next Generation Science Standards for elementary science.
deconstruct and interpret the California Next Generation Science Standards to form lower level sub-concepts for setting instructional goals, purposes and topics for units and lessons.
write plans for instructional sequences for physical, life, and earth science for elementary grades.
plan and implement effective guided discovery science lessons that engage students in problem-solving and investigation consistent with the California Next Generation Science Standards, and include appropriate performance-based student assessment activities.
design grade-appropriate experiences and activities that link science and language learning, and advance language skills of all students including English learners.
apply computer and media technology for students to elementary science data collection, analysis, and learning.
make science content accessible for a wide range of students, including emergent bilinguals and students with disabilities.
describe a desired relationship between democracy, citizenship, and science education and tell how their approach to science education will assist in establishing that relationship for students.

TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS

I introduce the students to Phet, a website that simulates the interaction of molecules.
I use Blackboard learn.
Students look for virtual field trips for their students on the internet.
We also use google docs for classroom activities and assignments.

Opportunities for Active Learning

Students do lots of hands-on science when we are in the classroom. We go on two field trips- to the Gateway Science Museum and to the Chico Creek Ecological Preserve. This fall I am adding an assignment in which students will be making science kits that they can check out to use in their classroom placements. These kits will also be available to local teachers.

Connections to the Professional Field

Students will be creating science kits that start with a book that is focused on ecological justice. They will share these with local teachers. They will also teach a lesson to their classmates from their kit.

We also go on two field trips that they can take their future students on.

Elements of Climate Change and Resilience & Environmental Justice

I am including an assignment this fall that focuses on ecological justice.

Teach my students different ways to integrate science and literacy curriculum
share the ecological justice books with my students in class
Have students get into teams of 2 or 3
The teams will create and or find ideas for the elementary classroom with a focus on an anchor text that has an ecological justice focus

Curriculum integration ideas
Project-based learning ideas
Inquiry learning ideas

Teams will write up and present their kits to the class. Each of the pre-service teachers will invite their Cooperating teacher (CT) to the presentation. Both the cooperating teachers and preservice teachers will have access to checking out these kits
Each of the teams will also select one activity from their kit to teach to the class.

Training in Course Design

For this particular course, I used ideas from Go Virtual to have students learn about teaching science through doing science in their homes and taking pictures of the activities.

From the ideas from the AEL Institute, I reworked an assignment to include social and ecological justice, civic engagement, and active and experiential learning.

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