GS 311: Biology for Elementary Schools Summer 2009 Instructor: Dr. Karen Bledsoe Summer office hours: Contact information: M-R 11:00-12:00 or by appointment Office: NS 220 Phone: 8-8036 email: [email protected] http://www.wou.edu/~bledsoek Welcome to GS 311. This is a 300-level pedagogical content knowledge course in which you will learn biology through the kinds of activities appropriate to the children you will one day be teaching. Much of the class time will be spent in hands-on, inquiry-based activities, some of which will be taught by your instructor, some by your peers, and some by you. Be prepared for out-of-class time spent reading, composing essays, responding to online writing assignments, working with an online video-based learning program, and preparing for your assigned teaching time. Readings and Resources • Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning (NRC, National Academy Press) (Available online) • Handouts from Inquire Within: Implementing Inquiry-Based Science Standards (Douglas Llewellyn, Corwin Press) • The National Science Education Standards (NRC, National Academy Press) (Available online) • Online Biology Book (http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html) • Science for All Americans (http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/sfaatoc.htm) Term assignments Science Notebooks (25 points each, 100 points total) You will keep science notebooks for each of the four units we will carry out this term: Seeds and Growth, Pond Life, Food for Plants, and The Pillbug Project. Purchase one Blue Book from the bookstore for each of the units. We will construct folders in class to keep your science notebooks and loose papers. Notebooks will be collected weekly and scored using a rubric. Science quizzes (25 points each, 100 points total) At the end of weeks 2 and 4 we will have quizzes over the units we have completed. In-class teaching (50 points) At some point in the term, each student will take charge of one of the lessons presented to the class. You will receive a written lesson plan and your instructor will support you during the lesson. Final project (100 points) Your final project will be a “Preparing for Science Teaching” portfolio which you will work on throughout the term. The portfolio will include three essays and an outline for a thematic unit in which you will include inquiry-based science teaching and integrate literature and writing. On the last day of class, you will give a short presentation on your thematic unit and lead a discussion about your plans and ideas. See the separate handout for details on the essays and the thematic unit. Class expectations • Students are expected to attend all class meetings. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material that you missed. • Texting, instant messaging, Tweeting, taking phone calls, and all other electronic communication during class distracts you, distracts other students, and is an inappropriate use of class time. Please turn off and put away cell phones and any other electronic communication devices as soon as you enter the classroom. Leave them off until you leave. Talk to me if there is an emergency or other compelling reason for you to leave your cell phone on. • Students are expected to study independently to reinforce science concepts learned in class.• Students are expected to contribute positively to class discussions and activities and preserve a safe learning environment. You can disagree without being disagreeable. Cheating policy: During a quiz or exam any written, digital, or spoken interaction with other students will be regarded as cheating. The use of crib notes (i.e., pre-prepared notes), text-messaging during a quiz, use of electronic devices that have not been pre-approved, and looking at other student’s test papers will be regarded as cheating. Cheating will result in a 0 grade on the assignment. Further cheating may result in further action in accordance with WOU’s disciplinary policies. All instances of cheating will be documented. Plagiarism is turning in someone else’s work as your own. This includes verbatim copying from sources (books, internet, CDs, etc.) without giving credit to the source, turning in papers purchased from a paper mill, copying the work of another student, or having someone else write your paper. When preparing papers for submission to an instructor, some paraphrasing may be appropriate. However, when a book or article is quoted at any length, quotation marks and citations (in-text indications of where the material came from and a detailed reference list at the end) must be included. A paper should not, however, be made up mostly of quotes. I can only grade your work; the writers of your source material are not in the class and I cannot grade their work, nor can I give you a grade based on their work. As a college student, you must learn to synthesize facts gleaned from sources into your own writing. Disabilities statement: Students who may need accommodations due to documented disabilities, who have medical information which the instructor should know about, or who need special arrangements in an emergency, should speak with the instructor during the first week of class. If you have not accessed services and think you may need them, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 838-8250 or email [email protected] Week Units Readings Assignments due / quizzes 1 What is Inquiry? (Llewellyn) Images of Inquiry (NRC ch 3) OBB chs 44, 49, 50 SFAA ch 1, Nature of Science Memories of Science draft (Thur) Science notebooks (Thur - check) 2 Seeds and Growth Pond Life Designing Investigations (Llewellyn) Preparing Teachers for Inquiry-Based Teaching (NRC ch 5) OBB chs 22, 23, 56 Revised science lesson (Mon) Who is a Scientist draft (Thur) Science notebooks (Thur – evaluate) Seeds and Growth quiz (Wed) Pond life quiz (Thur) 3 How do Children Learn Science? (Llewellyn) Making the Case for Inquiry (NRC ch 6) OBB 52 (section on arthropods) Science Misconceptions draft (Thur) Science notebooks (Thur - check) 4 Food for Plants Pillbug Project Creating a Culture of Inquiry (Llewellyn) Inquiry in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 2) OBB 11, 12, 13 Portfolio Project and presentation (Thur) Science notebooks (Thur – evaluate) Food for Plants quiz (Wed) Pillbug