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Illinois University Early Childhood Education CORE III C&I 283.01 - ECE Science Teaching Spring, 2006
(tentative, very subject to change)
Instructor: Dr. Marilyn Morey Office: DeGarmo 215 Phone: [phone] (O) 451-9450 (H) Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Course Location: FHS 140 Meeting Time: Tuesdays 8-10:00 Office Hours: T 10:30-12:00, W 12:30-1:30 & by appt.
Catalog Description of C&I 283: Materials and methods of teaching art, mathematics, science, and social studies. This 2-hour segment of CORE III is an introductory level course covering methods and materials for teaching science with preschool and primary level students. It includes planning, facilitating, and assessing science inquiry and developing understanding of the interrelationships among science, technology and society. This is not a science content course, this is a methods of teaching course. The expectation is that you will apply science content knowledge you have gained from life experiences and science content courses you have taken, to the development of learning experiences for young children. Prerequisites: GPA 2.5, Admission to Teacher Ed., and C&I 282 Program Standards The Curriculum and Instruction Department at Illinois State University is committed to preparing future educators who promote a high level of competence and integrity in practicing their profession. Graduates will contribute to the realization of the democratic ideal by providing excellence in education, thus enhancing the quality of life potential for all learners (Realizing the Democratic Ideals Framework). Courses offered through the department develop and assess the knowledge, performance, and disposition standards required of professional educators. Standards adopted by the department include those of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) standards outlined in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) and the content area standards for early childhood education. It is my understanding that you have been introduced to all these standards and have access to all of them. In addition to these standards, you will learn of the National Science Education Standards. Objectives Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
A. Demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge base for scientific literacy:
process/inquiry skills, content, attitudes, technological understandings, and the relationships among science, technology, and society.[NAEYC 1.1, 2.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.6, 3.5; ITBS K1c, P1g, K4b, P4k, K5d, P5j, K6b, P6g, K8b, P8j, K10b, P10e; MV4, IV 2, 3] B. Design developmentally appropriate integrated science curriculum for preschool and primary aged children utilizing appropriate goals, concepts and evaluation.
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[NAEYC 1.1, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.3; ITBS K2d, P2i, K4b, P3k, K5s, P5j, K6b, P6g, K7c, P7h, MV3, IV 2, 3] Demonstrate knowledge of the connections between science and other areas of the curriculum. [NAEYC 1.1, 2.1.3; ITBS K1d, P1j, K4c, P4o, K5d, P5l, IV3] Differentiate between textbook, project, activity, learning centers, and computer based instruction. [NAEYC 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.3; ITBS K4e, P4r, K5h, P5h, P5p, IV3] Demonstrate an understanding of effective questioning, assessment, and reporting techniques within the science curriculum. [NAEYC 4.1.2; ITBS K7d, P7f, K8c, P8I, IV3] Plan instruction that includes community resources. [NAEYC 2.1, 3.5; ITBS K6d, P6i, K9c] Modify instruction to include children with differing abilities and children with special needs, including assistive technology. [NAEYC 1.1, 2.1, 2.1.6; ITBS K3f, P3n, P6m, IV3]
C. D. E. F. G.
Required Text and Materials 1. Lind, Karen (2005). Exploring Science for Early Childhood Education (4th ed.Teaching Children Science: Discovery Methods (6th ed). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. 2. 3-Ring Binder or some other organizing container that can be indexed (this is for your Science Resource Collection) 3. Some miscellaneous expense for teaching materials/equipment and postage, computer disks/flash memory card and for your science/literature bag-it project. 4. There will be a small charge for admission to the either the Children's Discovery Museum or the Miller Park Zoo (This fee will be approximately $4.00, and you should know that each location also has a little store, at which you may wish to purchase some educational items.) Addressing the Objectives. The objectives, as identified above, will be addressed through class attendance and participation in classroom activities, discussions, lectures, and assigned readings, and individual and collaborative assignments. The class calendar provides due dates for all major assignments. There may also be some smaller assignments that, if completed, will allow you to better participate in classroom discussion. Some assignments are collaborative in nature. This is an opportunity to learn from each other and share ideas while working towards completion of a common project. Much of the professional development in schools is collaborative in nature, within grade level teams and across grade level teams. It is expected you will work together cooperatively, each contributing to the assignment as you share ideas and reflect on your efforts.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
SCIENCE CONTENT AREA SUMMARY: (Team Assignment) You will be assigned a science content area and will prepare a summary of information required for teaching concepts appropriate for early childhood, examples of process skill application, and related standards and performance descriptors. A form will be provided for you to follow. You will need to seek out web-based and other resources to determine appropriate science content (Objective A, B, and C). The content teams will be assigned early in the semester and you may begin working on this assignment from day one of class. Later in the semester your team will make a presentation to your peers, using presentation software, about your content area. Your team will also be responsible for setting up some stations at which you will have mini-lessons related to your science content area.
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SCIENCE AND LITERATURE BAG-IT: (Individual assignment) This assignment will illustrate your ability to integrate Science & Literature, your understanding of science concepts, and your ability to plan learning activities. This project has been very well received by classroom teachers. In fact, more and more teachers are developing such carry home bags for use by their students and some publishing companies are now creating something similar to these. Typically, these are take home bags for children to complete with their parents/caregivers. You will choose a piece of children's literature, appropriate for grade level 2 or 3 that you can relate to science and perhaps mathematics or social studies and develop activities related to the piece of literature. Some examples will be shared in class and the evaluation form will be provided early in the semester. Choose activities that call for materials that fit, along with the book, into the plastic carrying bag that will be supplied to you. Keep in mind that the Bag-It is to be used over and over, so the directions and materials should be prepared in such a way to hold up under repeated use, i.e. sturdy materials and lamination are a must. But please, check for clarity, neatness, and spelling before laminating. Be creative, but definitely keep safety and portability in mind. Children can't be carrying glass jars, matches, sharp instruments, heavy or large items, etc., home with them, so choose your activities and materials with this in mind. This is an excellent opportunity for you to use your computer skills to add color and graphics to the pages of directions, parent letter, and recording sheets that you may use for your Bag-It. Not all activities are appropriate for a Bag-It situation. Remember that these go home where there may be younger siblings that could get hold of the materials, so keep safety and practicality in mind. Think simple, straight forward, and interdisciplinary as you choose and develop the activities. More directions will be coming your way. An evaluation form for your Bag-It will be sent as an email attachment early in the semester, so you will know the expectations for this activity and get a head start on it. (Objectives A, C, D) LESSON PLAN AND TEACHING REFLECTION: (Individual Assignment) While you are in schools for clinicals, you are required to teach a science lesson. Talk with your cooperating teacher about this requirement and work with her/him to decide when and how this will be accomplished. The clinical experience occurs a bit early in this semester so we will not have covered all the material about planning and teaching science by that time, but we will have covered some basics. You have been introduced to lesson planning in previous courses and we will build on that experience this semester. A lesson plan format(s) will be provided to you. You may decide to integrate a science lesson with literature or mathematics or social studies, but there should be some obvious science content connection. I do not want to hear that the teacher is not teaching science while you are there so there is no opportunity to teach science. It is up to you to arrange for this. If you must develop a lesson plan that requires you to integrate science with a social studies or a math lesson, then you can do that. The reflection will be written after you teach the lesson and should be accompanied by the lesson plan you prepared for teaching. The lesson plan should be given to your cooperating teacher for review at least two (2) days before you teach the lesson. Obviously, this means you cannot decide on a lesson topic one day and teach it the next, this requires some discussion with your teacher within the first couple days of clinicals to determine appropriate content. The teaching reflection paper is a logical, systematic follow-up to the teaching of your lesson. The reflection should include: 1. A description of the strengths and weaknesses evident in your lesson plan and teaching of it. 2. A statement of goals for your improvement of your science teaching including how you would teach your lesson differently a second time around.
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scale of 1-10 (1 being very poor and 10 being excellent), indicate your numerical assessment of the quality of the lesson. Be honest in your evaluation. Provide at least two reasons for your numerical rating. This lesson plan and reflection is due one week after the lesson is taught, but no later than March 24 this should be posted to LiveText and a hard copy should be given to me in class or placed in my mailbox in C&I Office, DeG 232. LESSON PLAN AND PEER TEACHING: (Team Assignment) In teams of 2, you will develop a lesson plan that you will teach as a mini-lesson to the rest of the class. There will be sign up sheets for these teams and topics early in the semester. The teaching of the mini-lessons will be scheduled during the last weeks of the semester. (Objectives B, C, F, and G) ITPS # 7 - SPREADSHEET OF SCIENCE-LINKED CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: (Team Assignment) Teams of 2 will create a spreadsheet that details 20 trade books (a combination of fiction and nonfiction) and how they integrate science content as well as other discipline content. You will denote what content of Earth/Space Science, Biological/Life Science, Physical Science and science process skills are addressed in each trade book. There will be some computer lab time scheduled for introduction to Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets, if needed. A format and rubric will be provided. Your team will consolidate your entries into one spreadsheet and send the spreadsheet to me via email attachment. Make sure you include your team members' names on your spreadsheet. We will also do a few calculations showing that you could use Excel as a gradebook and you will need to demonstrate to me during class time, mastery of that skill. This is a required technology skill (ITPS) assigned to this class. In order to meet this requirement, the spreadsheet must: Contain at least ten rows of data You must use a function or formula to perform a calculation You must show that you can sort data by at least two criteria You must generate a graph that accurately and clearly represents the data All the above criteria must be met For more information and for examples, go to: http://www.itps.ilstu.edu SCIENCE RESOURCE COLLECTION: (Individual Assignment) Some type of indexed container or ring-binder for organizing resources. The 9 index tabs must be labeled as: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science, Life Science, Technology, Environmental Science, Health/Nutrition Science, Assessment Ideas, Standards, and Miscellaneous (you may abbreviate your labels). The intent of this project is for you to prepare a science resource binder/box of materials/lesson plans/photos/websites/games/music/poetry/bulletin board ideas, learning center ideas (work jobs), ideas for science assessment, science related education articles, etc. that will help you in your teaching. You are expected to take ownership of this project by beginning this project FROM DAY ONE of class. Once this assignment is introduced to you, it is your responsibility to begin gathering information that may be helpful to you. This is not something you can expect to do the last few days of the semester. You should have a minimum of 5 items in each section in addition to anything that may be distributed in class. You will lose points if the majority of resources are only downloaded from the internet and printed out. You will need to send letters to related agencies asking for any free materials they may have for supporting early childhood/primary level science teaching/learning. The semester goes by quickly, so letters or
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phone calls must be sent or made during the first 2-3 weeks of the semester. To get you started, page 279 of your textbook which lists a number of addresses for obtaining science materials catalogs. Having said this, you resource file should need not contain more than a couple of resource catalogs, so do not waste good postage sending letters to all these companies, just choose a couple. It would also be a good idea to do a web search for these companies. It is likely you can order a catalog via internet rather than writing a letter and using postage or making phone calls. Milner Library may have some books in the reference section about "free materials for teaching" that you may ask the education reference librarian about in the TMC. The binder should reflect your ability to recognize and organize materials useful to teachers of children from preschool through third grade. The binder will be reviewed by the instructor at the end of the semester. An evaluation sheet for this assignment will be sent as an email attachment early in the semester. (Objectives A, B, C, G) ELECTRONIC (LIVETEXT) PORTFOLIO ENTRY: (Individual Assignment) You are expected to add to your portfolio by completing one (1) one-page portfolio entry based on some assignment from class. this This portfolio entry will: Identify what standards were addressed by the chosen assignment. Describe how the evidence (assignment) demonstrates your ability to meet the chosen standard(s). Describe how your thinking has changed as a result of completing this assignment. In other words, how did this add to or change your prior knowledge? How will you use this information in your future classroom? It is up to you which assignments you choose for your portfolio entries. It could be the spreadsheet of science/literature books, a lesson plan and reflection, lesson plan for the minilesson you teach in class, something you did during your field experience, etc. It is your choice, but it must be something you have done during this semester and it must be focused on science. The portfolio entry must provide the following information in the entry title or they will not be reviewed: Dept/Course#/Section#/Semester/Year/Standard or PBA or ITPS the entry is being filed under. For example: C&I 283.01 (Science) - Spring 2006. Make certain that you include me as a reviewer and share it with me to review. Make certain you include your name on the portfolio entry. Portfolio entries for this class must all be posted to your LiveText electronic portfolio and shared with me for review by April 29. 4 QUIZZES (Individual Assignment) There will be 4 quizzes during the semester. A quiz may include items from the text or other assigned readings, videos viewed in class, and class discussions. The purpose of the quiz approach is to encourage you to keep up on assigned readings and to review class content and to come to class ready to discuss the material. Each quiz will have 20-30 items and may include a combination of forced choice and open-ended items.
MISCELLANEOUS COURSE INFORMATION
EXTRA CREDIT: There isn't any. LATE ASSIGNMENTS: All assignments are due at the beginning of class time on the specified dates. Sores on late work will have a deduction of 10% for each day late, however, assignments will receive an "F" if it is more than three days late, unless there were extenuating circumstances and the student has received an extension from the instructor. The extension must be granted PRIOR to the time the assignment is due. All assignments for this course must be completed
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satisfactorily in order to obtain credit for the course. Students will receive a grade of "F" for the course if all course assignments have not been fulfilled. MEETING COURSE REQUIREMENTS: All work in this course must be submitted to the instructor in order to meet course objectives (even if the assignment is late to the point that all point value is lost). Students will receive a grade of "F" for the course, if all the course assignments have not been fulfilled. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A student's name on any academic exercise shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the student's own thought and study. Please refer to the University's Academic Integrity Policy in the Student Code of Conduct found in the Student Handbook, Policy IIIB. Violations of the Academic Integrity Policy as defined in the code of conduct will result (at a minimum) in zero points for that particular assignment and referral to the appropriate institutional office for disciplinary action. If you use materials you have obtained from internet resources or from printed materials, it is necessary that you give credit for those resources. CELL PHONES AND PAGERS: All pagers and cell phones should be off or in silent mode during class time. Answering or making phone calls during class time will be seen as lack of participation. Out of respect for everyone in the class, disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. SPECIAL NEEDS: Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability, should contact the Office of Disability Concerns: 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 or (TTY) 438-8620. If accommodations are to be made, it is up to you to inform me about the needed accommodation. GRADING: You will receive a maximum of 25 points for this class. For example, if your total score for the class is 100%, you will receive 25 points. If your total score for the class is 83%, you will receive 20.75 points. At any time during the class you should be able to determine your current percentage by dividing your current points by the total possible points you could have received at that particular point in the semester. For more information about your grade for CORE III, see the CORE III information sent to you via email by the CORE III Coordinator. Points in this class which will be converted to the 25 point scale for CORE III: Assignment Possible Points to Earn Science lesson plan 30 Science lesson teaching reflection 20 Content Area Summary 30 Science-Literature Spreadsheet 20 Mini lesson and teaching to class (content area) 40 Science-Literature Bag-It 40 Science Resource Binder 30 4 Quizzes (20 points each) 80 Participation 10 Total Points Possible 300
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INFORMATION RELATED TO CLINICALS ATTENDANCE POLICY: If you are going to be absent, it is your responsibility to contact me, the school, and the cooperating teacher, and if someone is supervising you other than myself, you need to contact that person. All missed hours must be made up in order to meet course requirements. The only days which do not need to be made up are holidays when the clinical site is closed and ISU holidays. On days when there are school in-service days or parent-teacher conferences, you should do one of the following: 1) if invited to attend - attend and fully participate 2) if not invited work with the cooperating teacher to plan what you could doduring the time (i.e. set up/plan for the next week, etc.) 3) if the teacher has nothing you could do and you can not participate, the time will need to be made up inform me if this is the situation. APPROPRIATE DRESS: You could be sent home from the clinical site for inappropriate dress as well as if you receive a disposition in regard to professional behavior. This is a professional clinical experience and you should dress accordingly Both tops and pants should not be too low cut Nothing see through or too tight All tattoos should be covered All piercings must be vacant except for up to two on each ear lobe Ask for the schools dress policy when you begin. There may be other expectations in addition to these minimum standards (i.e. sweatshirt day, jeans day, etc.) PUNCTUALITY: You must be on time and prepared to greet children and assist in learning activities at the time designated. Arrive early, put things away, etc. Do not use clinical time to prepare lessons etc. that should be done outside of the clinical experience time. Problems with punctuality and attendance could result in a dispositional concern. CONFIDENTIALITY: Issues that arise in a classroom or school, whether it be with faculty, administrators, parents, or children should be tactfully kept confidential. Gossiping outside the classroom or in the break room can lead to huge problems and hurt professional relationships. Additional Resource Ideas Abruscato, J. (2000). Whizbangers and Wonderments, Science Activities for Young People. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061. (1994). Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Oxford University Press. Bowman, B., Donovan, M., Burns, M. (Eds.) (2001). Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Bransford, J. Brown, A, and Cocking, R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School (expanded edition). Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Butzow, C and Butzow, J. (2000). Science Through Children's Literature. Libraries Unlimited. Bybee, R. (ed.) (2002). Learning in Science and the Science of Learning. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.
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Chaille, C. and Britain, L. (2003). The Young Child as Scientist: A Constructivist Approach to Early Science Education. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn and Bacon. Charlesworth, R., Lind, K. (2002) (4rd ed.) Math and Science for Young Children. Albany, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning. Cochran, J. (1992). Integrating Science and Literature. (Grades k-2), Nashville, TN: Incentive Publications. Finkelstein, A. (2001). Science Is Golden: A Problem-Solving Approach to Doing Science with Children. Michigan State University Press. Gene-Holt, B. (1989). Science with Young Children. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Glandon, S. (2000). Caldecott Connections to Science. Goldberg, L. (1997). Teaching Science to Young Children. London: Dover Publishers. Guhu, S. and Doran, R. ( 1999). Playful Activities for Young Children, Assessment tasks with low reading and writing demands for young children. Science and Children. 37 (2), 36-40. Harlan, J. D. & Rivkin, M. S. ( 2004) (8th ed.). Science Experiences for the Early Childhood Years. An Integrated Affective Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Hart, C., Burts, D., Charlesworth, R. (1997). Integrated Curriculum and Developmentally Appropriate Practice - Birth to Age Ei...