Author:
Charlton Wolfgang
Subject:
Environmental Science, Elementary Education, Life Science, Physical Science
Material Type:
Syllabus
Level:
College / Upper Division
Tags:
  • Early Childhood and Primary STEM and Science Activities
  • Elementary
  • Science Education
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution
    Language:
    English

    ERCH 465.91: Science for the Young Learner

    ERCH 465.91: Science for the Young Learner

    Overview

    This syllabus continues to be a work in progress for ERCH 465: Science for the Young Learner. The course is part of the Early Childhood Professional Bloc II. Students take these classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and are in their field placements Wednesdays-Fridays, where they apply the content learned in the courses. Pro Bloc II prepares them for student teaching. Students who take this course are preparing to be certified to teach students in grades K-4.

     

    Contacting Professor

    Dr. Charlton Wolfgang

    Office: 223 Stayer Hall

    Office phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx

    Cell phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx

    Email: charlton.wolfgang@millersville.edu

    I will be available during posted office hours. However, I will gladly meet with you at other times by appointment. Please call or email me to set up a time.

    Office Hours:

    Mondays: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

    Wednesdays: 12:30 PM-1:30 PM (Virtual: please email me so that I will know when to log on to Zoom)

    Fridays: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM

    Course Description

    This course provides an overview of the content and processes included in an early childhood (Pre K-Grade 4) science program. The course includes a study of methodology appropriate to the school setting. Prerequisites: All Core courses, Admission to Advanced Professional Studies (APS).

    This course is designed for 1.5 hours of instruction each week with 3 hours of additional time for independent work. 3 days per week are spent in the field placement.

    Corequisites: ERCH 345; ERCH 422; ERCH 455 

    Course Goal

    The goal of this course is to provide pre-service teachers with the capacity to utilize best practices related to teaching and learning PreK-4 science. At the conclusion of the course, all candidates should have a calibrated understanding of best practices in elementary science methods. 

    Required Materials

    There is no textbook for this course. All readings will be provided via D2L and/or linked through the syllabus as part of the Open Educational Resources initiative.

    Science Teaching Notebook (paper or digital)

    Course Objectives

    1. Explain the nature of scientific investigation
    2. Plan, execute, and evaluate hands-on minds-on science lessons for students Grade 1 to Grade 4
    3. Address their perceptions of science and scientists and recognize the diversity inherent in the field of science
    4. Explain the typical cognitive development of children and apply this knowledge to scientific investigations
    5. Integrate other content area into the science program
    6. Use standard apparatus in science available to elementary teachers
    7. Use measurement devices, record, and interpret data in the form of charts and graphs
    8. Obtain and use information about teacher effectiveness to reflect on their own philosophy of teaching science
    9. Reflect on, evaluate and use a variety of techniques to assess children’s understanding of science concepts and processing skills
    10. Plan, set up, and manage the early childhood science classroom
    11. Identify and use safety procedures during demonstrations and experiments
    12. Evaluate science content and materials based on the criteria proposed by the science reform initiatives
    13. Use electronic technology and traditional resources to obtain and use resource materials in teaching science
    14. Investigate differences in the ways children learn, including children with disability, and accommodate these differences to affect learning
    15. Demonstrate knowledge of science content as described in PA standards

    Millersville University: Professional Education Unit’s Conceptual Framework - Abstract

    Learning Communities of Inquiry and Action

    We will engage in learning communities in which reflection, collaboration, lifelong learning, and habits of mind are developed and nurtured.

    Focus on Students

    We will balance knowledge and the principles and concepts delineated in professional and state standards with an appreciation of all students’ individuality, diversity, and cultures.

    Exemplary Professional Practices

    We will demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions of exemplary professionals.  We will have strong competence in our content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and skills as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards.  We will demonstrate professional dispositions or standards of conduct, will be supportive of students, families, and the school and community and will serve as catalysts for positive and responsible change.

    Professional Behaviors Statement

    At Millersville University, we support the development of professional behaviors and believe that all teacher candidates can learn and grow.  The professional behaviors all teacher candidates are expected to develop center on these five categories:  (1) Demonstrate Professional Communication, (2) Demonstrate Honesty and Integrity, (3) Demonstrate a Respect for Diversity and the Civil Rights of Others, (4) Demonstrate Professional Relationships and (5) Demonstrate a Commitment to Becoming a Professional. The professional behaviors of all teacher candidates are continuously assessed by the Professional Education Unit, which includes staff, faculty, and field-based partners.  Candidates will be evaluated by teams of content and education faculty who will discuss each candidate individually. Candidates will begin with a rating of “Developing Professional.” Faculty will change these ratings based on evidence. Candidates who receive ratings of Unprofessional Behavior, will then receive a “not recommend” to their next program transition point and a formal review process will automatically be required consistent with the procedures in the Professionalism Policy. Teacher candidates may consult the evaluation criteria and the full policy available in the Teacher Education Handbook, located on the Dean of the College of Education and Human Services’ webpage.

    Title IX

    Millersville University and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students. In order to comply with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the University’s commitment to offering supportive measures in accordance with the new regulations issued under Title IX, the University requires faculty members to report to the University’s Title IX Coordinator incidents of sexual violence shared by students. The only exceptions to the faculty member's reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual violence are communicated by a student during a classroom discussion, in a writing assignment for a class, or as part of a University-approved research project. Faculty members are obligated to report to the person designated in the University Protection of Minors policy sexual violence or any other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (a person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred. 

    Information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence is set forth at: www.millersville.edu/titleix 

    Email Communication

    The University and I expect you to check your student email account regularly. We will send messages to your University email address. Messages will not be sent to your personal email account, except in the case of a reply to a message that you sent. Failure to retrieve messages is not an excuse for lack of awareness.

    Do not expect an immediate response to email received in the evening and over the weekend or breaks. Such messages may not be read until my next scheduled office hours.

    I receive a high volume of email each day. Be sure to begin the subject line of your message with your course prefixE-mail must be written in a professional manner

    Special Accommodations

    Students in need of special accommodations due to a disability or for any other circumstance are responsible to inform the instructor of their needs. They are also responsible to provide the required documentation that is processed through the Office of Learning Services, Lyle Hall. 

    Class Attendance

    I expect you to make wise choices regarding your attendance. If you are ill (coughing, blowing nose, etc.), please do not attend class. Email me at least one hour before the start of class, explaining your illness and your expected return to class. Remember that in arbitrarily cutting class, you cannot demonstrate your mastery of course content. Involvement in-class activities and unannounced quizzes cannot be made up. It is your responsibility to check D2L and/or stop in during office hours to discuss the content of missed classes.

    Class attendance will be taken by sign-in roster. If you arrive in class late or leave early, you will be recorded as absent

    Any fraudulent attempt to receive credit for attending class is a form of academic dishonesty that will result in a 10% reduction in your final grade.

    In accordance with University policy (see Undergraduate Catalog, p. 59), I will review the reason(s) for class absence.  The University recognizes the following reasons as excused, permitting the submission of projects due and the make-up of announced assessments:

    ​​​​​​​personal illness

    death or critical illness in the family

    participation in a University-sponsored activity

    jury duty or court summons

    military duties

    religious holidays

    For reasons other than personal illness, present appropriate documentation upon your returnRoutine medical appointments are not excused. 

    In the case of foreseeable absences, please notify me in advance. In order for an absence resulting from participation in a University-sponsored activity to be excused and to ensure your ability to make up course work, University policy requires you to notify me well in advance of the activity. Written notification should be presented a minimum of two class sessions prior to the absence.  

    I reserve the right to fail any student for the semester who misses 4 or more of the scheduled classes regardless of the reason.

    Classroom Safety

    For safety reasons, I often will lock the classroom door once class begins, preventing outsiders from entering the room.  If you leave during class, do not thwart this safety measure by leaving the door open to regain access.

    Additionally, keep the aisles clear of your books, bags, etc. I walk around the room, as do fellow students. Do not put anyone in danger of tripping and falling. Books and bags will be placed in the back of the room during labs.

    Cell Phones

    Silence all cell phones during class and put them away. Phone sounds disrupt everyone’s thinking and impede the learning of other students in the room. Checking messages or chatting during class via voice or texting is not permitted. Failure to follow this policy may result in a professionalism referral to the College of Education.

    Occasionally, emergency situations arise that require you to have phone access during class. If this occurs, provide me with a reason for the need to have phone access before class begins. Keep your phone out on the desk on vibrate only. If you receive a call, leave the room immediately to take it. In no case should texting occur during class. Under no circumstances may phones be accessed during exams or quizzes.

    Exceptions to this policy will be made when phones or other devices are to be used during class as part of the instruction, for the relevant portion of the class only.

    Academic Honesty

    As a student of the University, I expect you to be honest and forthright in your academic endeavors. Academic dishonesty includes: stealing the words, images or ideas of another, falsifying the results of one’s research, cheating on an examination, using another’s work or ideas on an academic paper or project, allowing another person to commit an act of academic dishonesty, or assisting in the commission of an act of academic dishonesty. In this course, I will enforce the university’s policy on plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and academic misconduct.

    Breaches of academic honesty are serious offenses that I will not ignore. Penalties vary depending upon the offense. In all cases, I will submit an official report to the appropriate University officials.  Students can be dismissed from the University for violating this policy.  In addition, a professional dispositions referral will be made in the College of Education and Human Services.  Failure to demonstrate dispositions deemed appropriate in the field of education can result in removal from the program.

    Late Policy

    Descriptions of each assignment, as well as evaluation criteria, will be provided throughout the course. Nonetheless, assignments must be completed on time. The policy regarding late assignments is a 20% penalty for late assignments turned in within 1 day of due date and 50% penalty for assignments turned in thereafter until the end of the course (defined as the last regular class session). If you are ill or have a serious problem that prevents you from submitting an assignment on the day it is due, please contact me prior to the due date and we will arrange an alternative date. Additionally, students with incomplete assignments at the end of the course will be given the earned final grade. Incompletes (I's) will not be given except under extenuating circumstances that are discussed with your instructor prior to assignment of final grades.

    Extra Credit – Bonus Points – will not be given to individual students.

    Safeguard Your Work

    For your protection, save all work electronically and save all returned projects until the official report of your semester grade has arrived. This action will minimize the steps you must take or the work you must do if an error occurs.

    Evaluation

    Your final grade will be based on a point system. All activities will be assigned points either holistically or as defined on a scoring rubric.

                            Participation                                          80 points

                            Science Teaching Notebook                30 points

                            Assignments                                        125 points

                            Midterm Quiz                                       20 points

                            Final Project/Presentation                    50 points

                            Total                                                   305 points

    Your total points/305 * 100 = Final average

    PARTICIPATION – A missed session cannot be duplicated and will result in a deduction from participation grades. Partial credit for missed classes may be earned on a case-by-case basis. It is the responsibility of each student to log on to D2L on a regular basis and to participate in all lessons and activities.

    SCIENCE TEACHING NOTEBOOK – A traditional or digital notebook is required.  Notebooks must consist of a table of contents, page numbers, documentation, and a glossary/index. Assessment of the notebook will occur multiple times during the semester. Each notebook check is worth 10 points.

    ASSIGNMENTS – All written assignments should be written using 12-point Times-New Roman font and double-spaced. Some assignments are completed in class. The following assignments will be explained further at an appropriate time during the course.  

    • Host Teacher Science Interview
    • Science Lesson Observation
    • Misconception Activity Lesson
    • 5E Lesson and Reflection
    • Science Learning Center/Collaborative Digital Activity

    MID-SEMESTER QUIZ – The midterm quiz will be comprised of questions to evaluate your understanding of the big ideas presented during the course and from the required readings and videos. Science teaching notebooks will be allowed during the quiz.

    Letter Grades:  Letter grades will be determined using the following scale

                            93-100 A   (4.0)                       80-82   B-   (2.7)          67-69   D+  (1.3)                    

                            90-92   A-  (3.7)                      77-79   C+  (2.3)          63-66  D    (1.0)

                            87-89   B+ (3.3)                      73-76   C    (2.0)          60-62   D-   (0.7)

                            83-86   B   (3.0)                      72-70   C-   (1.7)          0-59   F     (0.0)

    Course Policies

    This course is designed and organized to be highly collaborative and experiential. In addition, this course is designed to offer each student an experience as a learner in a differentiated instruction format while developing an understanding of science education from grades PK-4. Class sessions will involve small discussion groups as well as large group activities and whole-class discussions. 

    GENERAL POLICIES

    • All course readings must be read before class.
    • Be an active listener when others are speaking.
    • All grades/points/marks for assignments are final.
    • If you have any questions about grades/points awarded to assignments, make an appointment to see the course instructor during the course instructor’s office hours.
    • Course instructor will not discuss grades/points during class time.
    • All citations must be in APA format.

    Free Tutorial: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx

    Purdue’s OWL Site: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

    Tentative Schedule

    Session

    Date

    Lesson

    Reading Assignment Due (by classtime on date listed)

    Course

    Assignment Due

    1

    8/22

    Course Overview/Syllabus/What Science Is

     

     

    2

    8/29

    Learning Science Through Inquiry (1,3)

    Science for All Americans (Chapter 1); Taking Science to School (Ch. 1)

    Outline of Life Story & Headshot

    3

    9/12

    The Nature of Science I (1,3)/Nature Walk

    Taking Science to School (Ch. 2)

     

    4

    9/19

    The Nature of Science II*

    Foundations (v.2):

    Ch. 6 (pp. 39-50)

    Science Interview Questions for Host Teacher

    5

    9/26

    The Nature of Science III/Lab Safety (6, 10, 11)

    PA Science Safety Guidelines (pp. 41-51, 118); Seeing Students Learn Science (Ch. 1, pp. 1-18 only); Ready, Set, Science! (Ch. 7)

     

    6

    10/3

    Standards/Assessment (9, 13, 15)/Solids & Liquids FOSS

    Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

    Hands-On Science Lesson Observation Form

    7

    10/17

    Lesson Planning/5E Model

     

     

    8

    10/24

    Misconceptions (4)

    Ready, Set, Science! (Ch. 3); Watch A Private Universe

     

    9

    10/31

    Discrepant Events*

     

     

    10

    11/7

    Midterm Quiz; Integrating Other Content Areas (5, 7)/Measurement FOSS

    Framework for K-12 Science Education (Ch. 11)

    Study for Quiz; Misconception Activity Lesson Plan

    11

    11/14

    Evaluating Science Curricula (8, 12)

    Read TIMSS Overview

     

    12

    11/21

    Unit/Learning Center Planning (2, 14)

     

    5E Lesson and Reflection

    13

    11/28

    Learning Center Presentations (1-15)*

     

    Science Learning Center

    14

    12/5

    Learning Center Presentations (1-15)*

     

     

    Italics represent readings/videos that will be provided on D2L

    Reading assignments should be completed by the date listed

    Parentheses identify course objectives explicitly explored during a lesson

    Course assignments are due on the date listed

    * indicates notebook checks

    Required Readings/Resources

    American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990). Science for All Americans –Online. Cary, NY: Oxford University Press

    Retrieved from http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/sfaatoc.htm

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (1987). A Private Universe. Retrieved from https://www.learner.org/series/a-private-universe/1-a-private-universe/

    National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Seeing Students Learn

    Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom. Washington, DC: The

    National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23548.

    National Research Council. 2007. Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in

    Grades K-8. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    https://doi.org/10.17226/11625

    National Research Council. 2008. Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8

    Science Classrooms. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    https://doi.org/10.17226/11882.

    National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices,

    Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    https://doi.org/10.17226/13165.

    National Science Foundation’s Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (n.d.). Foundations, Volume 2.

    Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/start.htm

    Recommended Readings/Resources

    Annenberg Foundation (2016). Learning Science Through Inquiry. Retrieved from: http://www.learner.org/workshops/inquiry/

    Bell, P. & Bang, M. (2015). Overview: How can we promote equity in science education?. STEM Teaching Tools Initiative, Institute for Science + Math Education. Seattle, WA: University of Washington. Retrieved from http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/15

    Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (2005). Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry. Colorado Springs, CO: BSCS    Retrieved from https://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih6/inquiry/guide/nih_doing-science.pdf

    Full Option Science System (FOSS). Science Notebooks

    Gelman, R., Brenneman, K., MacDonald, G., & Roman, M.  (2010). Preschool Pathways to

    Science (PrePS).  Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, Inc.

    Hassard, J., & Dias, M. (2009). The Art of Teaching Science: Inquiry and Innovation in Middle

    School and High School (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    National Science Foundation’s Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (n.d.). Foundations, Volume 1.

    Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/nsf9776/nsf9776.pdf

    National Science Teachers Association (2014). NSTA Position Statement on Scientific Inquiry.

    Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/inquiry.aspx

    Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards

    Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science and Technology and Engineering Education Retrieved from http://pdesas.org/Standard/View#

    Pennsylvania Science Curriculum Framework

    Retrieved from http://pdesas.org/CMap/CFramework

    Rogers, K., Howell, L., Smith, A., Clarke, P., & Henderson, C.  (2002). The Usbourne Internet-

    Linked Science Encyclopedia, London: Usbourne Publishing Ltd

    University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Research Community Programs and Institute of Cognitive Science (2017). Science Literacy Maps. Boulder: University of Colorado.

    White, A. S., Kunz, G. M., Whitham, R., Houston, J., & Nugent, G. (2015). Guided science inquiry instruction with students with special education needs. (R2 Ed Working Paper No. 2015-1). Retrieved from the National Center for Research on Rural Education: r2ed.unl.edu