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To build fundamental general science concepts in earth, space, life and environmental science 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.
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To apply and come to appreciate the diversity of life and nature that is found in our own natural history.
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To understand the complexity and delicacy of the interconnections between living and non-living systems.
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To understand and apply in our daily lives the concepts of environmental stewardship.
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To understand the process of inquiry including asking oneself questions and seeking answers using experimental design and the processes of science.
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To learn science within a context that is inviting, collaborative, cooperative and respectful.
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To move beyond only learning the science that is needed for course evaluation and grading
EDU 247 Course Requirements
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Attendance:
It is expected and necessary for you to attend class. Attendance and punctuality are 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. With that said, I recognize that illness, family emergencies or another significant life event, may impact your class attendance. Therefore, each student may miss up to 2 hours of class without penalty. Absences greater than or equal to 1 full session of Tuesday evening and or Thursday lab will result in a loss of 3 overall points earned per incident.
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. In the lab and classroom, a refillable beverage container (with a lid) will be acceptable.
Email and Moodle:
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 e-mail 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 e-mail using subject specific criteria that will be defined for each assignment. Moodle will also be used to access many documents necessary for completing this course. Students are expected to log in to Moodle regularly to check for updates (Weekly Outline).
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. Honor code statement is required all on written assignments (including electronic).
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EDU 247 Course Evaluation
The emphasis of this course is on the understanding and learning of basic science concepts of earth/space, environmental and life 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.
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Exams (30% of your grade)
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There will be two exams during the course:
Mid-Term Exam 1: April 8 (15 points)
Final Exam : Friday, May 21, 2010 (10:30-12:30) (15 points)
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Written Assignments (35 points)
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Research Synthesis Paper, (20 points or 20%) due May 13, 2010
Your product for this assignment may be a formal paper (similar to what we did in EDU 246) or another medium such as a potential series of articles written for a newspaper such as the Star Tribune, a web blog, a substantial letter written to a policymaker (such as our local St. Peter U. S. Congressman, Tim Walz) or a written medium (approved by Michele) of your own choosing. The product that you write and create for this assignment will represent your synthesis of the information, dilemmas and outcomes of A Civil Action and your water book (above) with thorough research (meaning scientific type peer reviewed journals) of an issue of water. Your written product should allow me to understand how you have made sense of the book A Civil Action and your selected water book Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, or Not A Drop to Drink what you have learned with your research regarding a significant issue of the water crisis and access to water. Like in EDU 246, this is a very “open” writing assignment. Open, does not mean that it is not well thought-out, nor does it mean that themes are not developed. You will be evaluated on the substance of what you say and the persuasiveness and clarity of your arguments.
Experimental Design (independent and dependent variables) due April 29, 2010 (15 points or 15%)
Experiments will use plants, seeds or water and follow the experimental design process of observation, coming up with a question, developing hypotheses, data collection and interpretation and presentation of results. Raw data will be displayed in a bar, histogram or pie graph using Excel with identification of the descriptive statistics including mean, medium and mode. This experimental project will also include the importance of sampling techniques (including random sampling), replication, controlling variables and using constant procedures. Data analysis and conclusions T test (for continuous data) and or the Chi-square test (categorical data) will be used to analyze the significance of the results.
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Laboratory and Field Credit (30% or 30 points)
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Science notebook 15 % or 15 points:
Science notebook 15 % or 15 points: Overall the purpose of the science notebook is to provide you with opportunities to process the course and lab content. A science notebook is a place to focus your attention on nature and natural events that we encounter in our daily experiences. Science can be thought of as a way of knowing our natural world. Therefore your science notebook will include (at the minimum) questions posed in class or readings, film responses and reflections, labs, weather observations, science based literature processing, at least 4 observational and phenological walks through the ARB (phenology checking), Environmental Learning Center evaluation, May Day conference, carbon & ecological footprint, and a checklist for completion. Please see additional assignment description for more information on the content of the notebook. Two journal checks: (April 8: 9 points) & (May 18: 6 points). Garden maintenance and plant propagation, (15 points), due as part of science notebook (above).
Garden Maintenance and Plant Propagation (15 % or 15 points)
Throughout the spring semester we will grow and propagate plants for experiments, the Wildflower Gardens of Mattson Hall and the Big Hill Farm. Each of you will be part of a small group that is responsible for seeding, planting, watering and general care of the class plants in the Gustavus greenhouse (including week ends and spring break). In addition, wildflower garden maintenance and renewed plantings will be part of the expectation of this component (May 6 & 13, after or before lab and other dates as weather permits). Finally, we may work with local school children to plant either wildflowers in the Mattson Gardens or vegetables and or flowers at Big Hill Farm.
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Affect, Integrity and Presence (Self and instructor rated: 5 points or 5%)
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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). Finally, group and cooperative learning is a large part of this course, including many projects and web activities. Expectations are high that EACH member of any group in this course works toward the shared project, including completing with integrity your specific task and making time to meet with other group members regarding the task, in a timely fashion.
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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.
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. The majority of your assignments will be turned in electronically via email. It is your responsibility to keep complete copies of all electronic assignments until your final grade is posted at the end of the semester. Your name and e mail address is expected on each and every assignment.
There is no grading on a curve. Grades less or equal to a C do not meet the standards of the Education Department at Gustavus Adolphus College.
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.
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Words of Wisdom from former EDU 247 Students
Stay on top of the readings and notebooks. It is much easier than trying to finish the night before it's due! Stay organized! There's a lot of information so keep it organized so that when it's time to refer back to, you know where it is. Collaborate with classmates-help each other stay on top of things and know what's due and what's upcoming! (Chelsey Kollodge)
Be organized and on top of things. Things will add up quickly! Also, have fun with your class! You spend a lot of time with them! (Marnie Luke)
Suggest devoting 1/2 hour to 45 minutes every night to doing something for this course. Then reward yourself with something you pick (time with friends), TV, ice cream, Facebook, a walk/run-Anything! (Kristine Carr)
Stay on top of the notebook assignments. Put in an hour or two every week or so at the end of the semester (when you have the paper and the experiment) so the notebook doesn't add so much stress. (Molly Mathiowetz)
Keep up to date on your notebooks! Don't save them for right before they are due. When things are assigned, start working on them right away so the work doesn't build up. Also, ask lots of questions. Challenge yourself to think of some to help you and your classmates understand the material at a deeper level. (Brittani Matzke)
Study technique: Read through science notebook before the test. Especially the literature section, because some questions on the test are from this section (Anna Finley).
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Updated: February 9, 2010
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