Required texts/materials
- Wildflowers of Minnesota
by Stan Tekiela
- Minnesota Trees by David
M. Ratke
- Critters of Minnesota, by Ann
E. McCarthy
- Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things
by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
- The Better World Shopping Guide by Ellis Jones
- Colored pencils (either a pack of 12 or 24)
- EDU 246 Course Packet
- Composition Book: 80 sheets, (ruled lines, not
graphing grid) 10 x 7 7/8
- Scissors (optional, but handy).
- Course packet for EDU 246.
- Two addition children's informational texts (TBD).
Select one of the following three science literature books:
Jane Goodall: Harvest for Hope
Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Michael Pollan: Omnivore's Dilemma
EDU 246 Course Description
Gustavus Adolphus College Catalog:
This course is designed for future K-6 classroom teachers. The focus is on the nature of science, fundamental concepts and principles of physical and life science, and safe environmental standards required for teacher licensure in Minnesota. Lab work, field excursions and small group projects are regular parts of this course. This course leads directly to the subsequent course, EDU-247.
EDU 246 Course Overview:
EDU 246 is a course in conceptually based science for students who are future elementary educators. The science content of the course will include in life science plants, trees, insects and in physical science chemistry of water and hydrocarbons, energy, heat transfer and force and motion. Application of the science content will be explored through regional natural history, threats to natural biomes and environments, including global climate change and the dynamics of energy.
This course requires a high level of participation of all students within a collaborative and cooperative learning context. Active learning of science will include individual and group processing of science content, activities, presentations, investigations, experimentation, field work, laboratory work, field excursions, and individual and group projects.
EDU 246 Course Goals
- To build fundamental general life and physical science concepts that will be applicable and appropriate for the elementary educator and envisioned by the National Research Council, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Science.
- To apply and come to appreciate the diversity of life and nature that is found in our own regional natural history.
- To come to understand the nature that is at the heart of doing science.
- To understand the complexity and delicacy of the interconnections between living and non-living systems.
- To understand and apply in our daily lives the concepts of environmental stewardship.
- To understand the process of inquiry including asking oneself questions and seeking answers to wonderings.
- To build an awareness of issues in science related to social justice and equity.
- To learn science within a context that is inviting, collaborative, cooperative and respectful.
Course Requirements
Attendance
It is expected and necessary for you to attend class. Attendance and punctuality is important in the education profession. Now is a good time to be sure that this habit becomes ingrained. Absence in class disrupts the collaborative nature that is vital to the format of our group. We miss not only the opportunity for your participation, questions, and processing of the content, but, you miss the opportunity to experience and be part of the collaborative efforts of your peers.
Food and drink:
This class will model safe environmental classroom habits. Each class session involves science materials, equipment, and or solutions, therefore please do not bring food into either the classroom or the laboratory. Refillable, covered beverage containers are fine in both the lab and Tuesday evening's class.
Email:
It is a requirement for this course that you are able to use basic email features. I will be using electronic mail to send you assignments, feedback, and other important documents. Knowledge and application of sending, receiving, and attaching documents to email is assumed for all students in this course. If you are not familiar with these e-mail functions, please see me as soon as possible. All students will be required to format email using subject specific criteria that will be defined for each assignment.
Honesty Policy:
This course will abide by the Gustavus Adolphus Honor Code. Ethical behavior is a must for teachers. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please review this web site for an overview of plagiarism.
Assessment and Evaluation
The emphasis of this course is on the understanding
and learning of basic science concepts of life and physical science.
Expectations are high for all students in terms of the quality, integrity
and consistency in completion of assignments and participation. The
evaluation for a grade will de-emphasize the rote learning of science
facts and terminology. Your grade will be a reflection of your efforts
to understand, process, and investigate the science content. All assignments
and written reflections are expected to be thoughtful, purposeful,
and developed with integrity that is required in our education profession.
Your grade will reflect your understanding of the content, your efforts,
and your ability to work with integrity in a cooperative learning
environment.
Note about electronic grading:
The majority of your assignments will be turned in electronically through e-mail. It is your responsibility to keep complete copies of all electronic assignments until your final grade is posted at the end of the semester.
Exams and quizzes (35% of your grade):
There will be two exams during the course. Each exam will include essay questions and may be solely based on essay.
Exam 1: November 6, 2008 (10 points)
Lab Quiz 1: September 30 (5 points)
Lab Quiz 2: October 16 (5 points)
Exam 2: December 18, 2008 (15 points)
Written Assignments (30%)
Literature Synthesis Paper, (15 points or 15%) due December 9, 2008
Science notebook (including phenology) (from lecture, lab, and individual work) (15%). Two science notebook checks: (October 23 and December 11, 2008).
Laboratory and Field Credit (22% or 22 points)
Weekly Laboratory Investigations including rearing arthropods, teaching a lab with FOSS following national and state safety guidelines in the use of chemicals, organisms, equipment, individual and home energy assessment/audit, alternative energy forms, and calculation of ecological/carbon footprint. Field experience includes possible trips to Kasota Prairie, Chamberlain Woods and RDF plant. Most of the accountability for lab will be part of your science notebook.
Field notebook for wildflowers (3.5 points)
Field notebook for trees (3.5 points)
Experimental Design (15% or 15 points): Due Thursday, October 30, 2008
This project will allow students in EDU 246 an opportunity to design experiments with arthropods where they will follow the experimental design process of observation, coming up with a question, developing hypotheses, collecting data and interpretation and presentation of results. Students will plot their raw data into a bar, histogram or pie graph (using Excel) and will identify descriptive statistics including mean, medium and mode. They will also discuss: the role of randomness and sampling, replication, controlling variables and determining constant procedures. Students will use census and sampling techniques to assure the random selection of their study population.
Service Learning in Garden Maintenance (6% or 6 points)
It is the responsibility of EDU 246/247 to maintain the Wildlife Gardens by Mattson Hall. Each student is expected to contribute at least 1.5 hours to service learning regarding the gardens. Dates are: Friday, September 19 & 26th from 3:30-5:00pm and Thursday, October 2 from 5:15 to 6:45 pm.
Affect, Integrity and Presence (Self and instructor rated) (7% or 7 points)
How are these points earned?
Through your consistent and punctual attendance, demonstration of personal and professional behaviors as designated in the Department of Education's Statement of Professionalism. This means that you appear interested and engaged in the science course content. This means that your attention is focused on the class (side conversations or other disruptions are not part of your class interactions). Your participation in small and large group contributes to the learning of all (about science).
A note about writing: In addition to all of the above expectations, it is assumed that in this class written assignments will be carefully edited, checked for grammar and spelling and consist of high quality writing that is expected in our teaching profession. APA is the standard for this class. Click here for more information on APA style.
Evaluation and Grading:
Total points for class: 100 points.
A = 94 -100 total points
A- = 90-93.99 points
B+= 87.5-89.99 points
B= 84-87.49 points
B- = 80-83.90 points
C = work less than 79.9 total points
In addition, your grade will be penalized by a deduction of 7. 5 points if you choose not to complete a major assignment. A major assignment is any assignment valued at 5 or more points.
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