Te910C: Teaching Science in the Elementary School
Tuesdays 4:00 to 6:40 PM
Instructor: Rachel Poland
Phone: 619-248-7154
Email: rpoland@mail.sdsu.edu or rpoland@mail.sandi.net
Office Hours: Tuesday after class 6:40 to 7:40 in classroom also available after 3:30pm weekdays by appointment.
Course Overview
This course is designed to increase your confidence and enthusiasm for teaching elementary school science. Science can
be an essential part of an elementary school classroom not only to achieve key science learning goals, but also as a means
to engage and motivate students as well as support literacy and mathematics learning. By the end of this course you
should be able to:
(1) Describe each of the three components (cross cutting concepts, scientific practices, & disciplinary core ideas) of
the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
(2) Plan instruction that helps students meet NGSS standards.
(3) Evaluate and adapt curriculum materials to meet the specific needs of your student population.
(4) Utilize methods to help students develop an understanding of concepts and facts, not just rote memorization.
(5) Utilize methods to help ALL students understand science and become confident in their ability to do science.
(6) Utilize technology to enhance science learning.
(7) Design science learning experiences for your students which engage students in scientific inquiry.
(8) Use a variety of methods to assess students’ science thinking and various levels of understanding of science
concepts and procedures, and plan instruction based on those understandings.
While the diversity of students in our classrooms increases, a significant achievement gap exists between Black, Latino/a
students and their White peers. A similar gap exists between women in STEM careers and their male counterparts. In
this class we pay particular attention to pedagogical strategies which research has found to support ALL students in
learning science and encourage all students to view themselves as future scientists.
Integrating Technology
Integrating technology can enhance instruction and engage your students. Within the context of our class, we will explore
technologies for both collecting data (such as probeware) and for sharing ideas and findings (such as Blackboard
Discussions, Google Doc and VoiceThread). A great start to using technology is downloading the free NGSS app (from
mastery connect education) to your apple or android. This includes standards and some great resources which will be
helpful when planning science lessons.
Connections to California Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE’s)
Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE’s) focus on the performance of credential candidates, within the continuum of
learning to teach which stretches from pre-service learning through beginning teaching experiences to National Board
Certification. The TPE’s listed below for the basis for statewide assessment of the performance for Student Teachers and
also forms the backbone of the Credential Program in our College of Education:
(1) Subject-Specific Pedagogical Skills for Multiple Subject Teaching Assignments
(2) Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction
(3) Interpretation and Use of Assessments
(4) Making Content Accessible
(5) Student Engagement
(6) Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices
(7) Teaching English Learners
(8) Learning about Students
(9) Instruction Planning
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(10) Instructional Time
(11) Social Environment
(12) Professional, Legal, and Ethical, Obligations
(13) Professional Growth
TPE #1 in particular will be the focus of this class. As a teacher of science in a multiple subject assignment you will
demonstrate the ability to teach the state-adopted academic content standards for students in science. You will balance the
focus of instruction between science information, concepts, and investigations. Your explanations, demonstrations and
class activities will serve to illustrate:
- Science concepts and principals
- Scientific investigation and experimentation
- You will emphasize the importance of accuracy, precision, and estimation.
- You will teach students to independently read and comprehend instructional materials that include increasingly
complex subject-relevant texts and graphic/media representations presented in diverse formats.
- You will also teach student to write opinion/persuasive and expository text in the content area.
- Finally you will provide students the opportunity to use and evaluate strengths and limitations of media and
technology as integral tools in the classroom.
Required Materials:
Course information, including a copy of this syllabus, and assignments will be available to you on Blackboard. Once class
begins, I will use the blackboard site extensively, please check this site at least twice a week for updates.
http://blackboard.sdsu.edu/ Until this site is available I will put all electronic resources at
Required Membership:
It is time to shift from your role as student to that of teacher. A major step in this shift is to become connected with the
professional community. Instead of buying a textbook for this class, you will join the National Science Teachers
Association. NSTA offers a variety of resources including an elementary science teacher magazine, Science and Children,
as well as lesson plans and other resources that will be helpful during the course. NSTA has a special membership for preservice and new teachers for $35. http://www.nsta.org/membership/join.aspx You can get $10 of the membership from
Geico for doing a free quote. For details: http://www.geico.com/landingpage/go51.htm?logo=00764
You may also choose to join the local chapter - San Diego State Science Teachers Association. This provides student
membership in the California Science Teachers Association and discounts on the National Science Teachers Association.
Annual dues depend on current organization rates, but last year they were $40. It is cheaper to join all three together, so I
encourage you to wait until we register in class. Consider running for SDSSTA office!
Required Readings:
Michaels, S, Shouse, A. W. & Schweingruber, H. A. (2008). Ready, set, science! Putting research to work in K-8 science
classrooms. The National Academies Press. Also available FREE online at
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11882
Science and Children, a journal from the National Science Teachers Association, available from the SDSU library, and
also to NSTA members. You need to get your library pin login to access journals from off campus.
A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas (2012) Available free on line
at National Academies Press http://www.nap.edu/ (create a free account and download the PDF)
You will also want to bookmark the website for the Next Generation Science Standards
http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards
Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard or distributed in class.
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I will also share a variety of source books (books with activities) and trade books. You might want to note bibliographic
information of the ones you like so that you can begin building your own library.
Required Materials:
You will need some supplies and materials for science experiments. Most of these can be obtained inexpensively (or for
free) if you are creative and plan ahead. Science cannot be taught without “stuff” but it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Begin collecting now!
Course Grading Policy
Assignments that are due on class dates should be submitted at the beginning of class; they are considered late if they are
turned in after class ends. Assignments should be submitted on blackboard unless otherwise noted. All assignments
turned in late will lose 10% of their total point value. An additional 10% will be deducted for each day your assignment is
late! Please ensure that all assignments utilize proper spelling and grammar.
Your grade will be determined with the following grading scale:
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 88-89
B: 83-87
B-: 80-82
C+: 78-79
C: 73-77
C-: 70-72
D+: 68-69
D: 63-67
D-: 60-62
F: below 60
 Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the
purpose of improving one’s grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so.
Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term ‘cheating’
not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain
an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which
consist of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e. their
intellectual property) so used as one’s own work. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular
assignment, through and F for the course, to expulsion from the University. For more information on the University’s
policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Schedule of Courses (“legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism”) or
the University Catalog (“Policies and Regulations”).
 Students with Disabilities: The University is committed to providing reasonable academic accommodation to students
with disabilities. The Student disability Services Office provides university academic support services and specialized
assistance to students with disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations
for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the
receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have
presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
 Religious Observance: University Policy on Absence for Religious Observances includes the following statements. “By
the end of the second week of class, students should notify the instructors of affected courses of planned absences for
religious observances. Instructors shall reasonably accommodate students who notify them in advance of planned
absences for religious observances.” Please notify me in a timely manner and a reasonable accommodation will be
reached.
 Syllabus is Subject to Change: This syllabus and schedule are subject to change. If you are absent from class, it is your
responsibility to check blackboard, with myself, or a classmate for any announcements made while you were absent.
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Assignments
Below is a brief description of the assignments for this class. Detailed descriptions will be posted on line before the
assignments are due. All assignments, unless otherwise noted, will be submitted electronically. Your comments and
grades will be posted on Blackboard.
Assignments
Description
Percentage
of Grade
Class
Participation
Experiences during class are essential for your own personal growth and for creating
a productive learning community. I expect that you will attend all classes, arrive on
time, and actively participate in classroom activities and discussion. This includes
completing any readings, blackboard discussion, and other tasks assigned for that
class. If you know you are going to miss a class, please let me know in ADVANCE.
Every unexcused absence lowers your class participation grade by 10%.
15%
If you need to miss a class, you are responsible for “hiring a sub” to collect handouts,
record notes, and notify you of administrative issues from the missed class. In
addition, you are responsible for finding time to complete the missed activities and
time, although some assignments cannot be made up.
Assignments
Description
Percentage
of Grade
Team 5 E
lesson Plan
Ultimately, I want you to have the opportunity to practice planning and delivering a
science lesson using the methods and knowledge you have gained in class. Your job
will be to choose one of the science concepts from the syllabus and come up with an
exemplar 5 E lesson plan as a team of four. Your overall lesson should take about 40
min including a 20 min hands on activity. You will lead your classmates through the
lesson and provide them with a hand-out describing the key elements of the lesson
and providing your sources (make copies for everyone in class).
25%
Please sign up for the topic that you wish to present on the google doc no later
than the start of class on 9/2.
Student
Interview &
Write up
Research has shown that individuals develop alternative conceptions or
misconceptions about science concepts. You will use the provided probe to interview
one student about their ideas on a science concept and you will write a short analysis
of the interview.
10%
Interview Assignment data transcript should be brought to class on 9/9.
Science Unit
Outline
Before developing the entire curriculum unit, I would like you to develop an outline
that provides the target learning goals and a description of the instructional sequence.
It will also include the science topic and standards you plan to address. This will
allow me to provide you with feedback as you start to think about your complete
curriculum unit.
10%
This outline will be due on blackboard BEFORE class on 10/7. Also have a copy
available to conference with me during class.
CAT
assignment
thinking Probe
Research has shown that individuals do not enter our classrooms with minds void of
ideas. For many science ideas, students have complex preconceptions. You will
design (or adapt) a probe (either written or oral) to get a sense of your students’ ideas
about your science topic. This prompt should be based on research literature on
misconceptions. You will write a report summarizing and reflecting on your
findings.
10%
CAT Assignment thinking Probe data should be brought to class on 10/14.
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Science miniunit/CAT
The final curriculum unit will include a unit purpose, science standards, lesson plans,
and planning commentary. In addition to a class assignment, it will be scored as your
Content Area Task (CAT) as required to receive your teaching credential. For
specific information about the CAT please visit:
http://go.sdsu.edu/education/contentareatasks.aspx
25%
Final Units must be uploaded to Task Stream on 12/1 and submitted to me via
hard copy as well !!!!
NSTA Article
Presentation
NSTA is a great resource for you in your science teaching, especially articles from
their journals. To help you begin to explore the journals you will be asked to pick an
article from NSTA’s Science and Children OR Science Scope and share it with the
class. You will sign up for your article and time to present on a Google Doc that is
shared by the class.
15%
On the day of your presentation you will be expected to give a brief 3-5 minute
presentation based on a summary of your article and how it can be used in a
science classroom. You will upload this information to the NSTA Article
Presentation Discussion on Blackboard in Discussions. Due 11/18.
Please keep in mind that my major goal for this course is to get you excited about teaching
science. Anything that I can do to improve your learning experiences please do not hesitate to
let me know. Furthermore, after this course is over and you move onto your “real” classrooms,
please keep in touch as I would love to continue to help you with planning and implementing
engaging science lessons for your students!
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Tentative Weekly Schedule: The following is a general outline of the course and is subject to change. Please refer to
blackboard for any additional articles or for most up to date syllabus.
Class
Topic(s)
Readings (due before class)
Assignments
(Week)
(due at start of class)
Class 1
8/21
Introduction/What is
science? Why teach
science?
Class 2
8/26
Inquiry and
Questioning- What does
it look like?
Miranda & Hermann. (2012). An Integrated
Instructional Approach to Facilitate Inquiry in
the Classroom. Science Scope.
Plants
Olson. (2008). Methods and Strategies: The
Crucial Role of the Teacher. Science & Children
Reflection from cell
membrane lesson
One of these:
Banchi & Bell (2008). The many levels of
inquiry. Science & Children.
Lott (2011) Fire up the Inquiry Science &
Children.
Class 3
9/2
Foundational
Knowledge and
Conceptual Change
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 3
Barman et al. (2002). Interview protocol for
plants. Science & Children.
Moon phases
Brunsell & Marcks (2007) Teaching for
Conceptual Change in Space Science. Science
Scope.
Please read after conducting the interview protocol:
Class 4
9/9
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Barman et. al (2006) Students Ideas about Plants
and Plant Growth. Science & Children.
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 4
Framework for Science Education
Pg 24-34
*Student Plant
Interview Write-up
(on Blackboard)
5E Lesson: Forces
Class 5
9/16
4 Strands of Learning
Introducing the
Scientific Practices
Duschl (2012). The Second DimensionCrosscutting Concepts. Science & Children
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 2
Pg 17-21 & pg 34-35
(optional reading pg 22-34)
5E Lesson: Magnets
Framework for Science Education
Pg 41-53 and pg 79
Class 6
9/23
Fall 2013
Discussion and
Argumentation
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 5
McNeil & Martin (2011). Claims, Evidence, &
Reasoning. Science and Children.
* Bring topic/lesson of
choice and grade level
that you will be using
for CAT to class!
Ross et al. (2009). The Art of Argumentation.
Science and Children.
5E Lesson: Air
Pressure
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Class
(Week)
Class 7
9/30
Topic
Readings (due before class)
Modeling and Data
Representations
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 6
Assignments
(due at start of class)
5E Lesson: Sound
Gustafson and Mahaffy (2011). Methods and
Strategies: The Concept of a Model. Science
and Children.
Class 8
10/7
Investigations
Krajcik and Merritt (2012). Engaging
Students in Scientific Practices: What does
Constructing and Revising Models Look Like in
the Science Classroom? Science and Children.
Ready, set, science!- Chapter 7
Flannagan & McMillan. (2009) From Cookbook
to Experimental Design. Science and Children
*CAT outline due on
blackboard
5E Lesson: Light
Gooding & Metz. (2008) Teacher’s Toolkit: A
Blueprint for Cultivating Inquiry. Science Scope
Class 9
10/14
Class
10
10/21
Assessment and
Evaluation
Flynn. (2008) In Praise of Performance-Based
Assessments. Science and Children
CAT subject Area
Group
Volkmann & Abell. (2003). Seamless
Assessment. Science & Children
Next Generation Science
Standards: Engineering
Design
5E Lesson: Simple
Machines
5E Lesson: Chemical
Reactions
Class
11
10/28
Learning Styles and
Diverse Learners
Class
11
11/04
Addressing Student
Diversity:
Science for All
Olson et al. (2009). Methods and Strategies:
Enhancing Science for ELL’s. Science &
Children
NO CLASS
A little bit of everything
Shea & Shanahan (2011). Talk Strategies: How
to promote oral language development through
science. Science & Children
Veteran’s Day
Check on line for article list!
Fall 2013
No Class
5E Lesson: Density
Crismond et al. (2013). Taking engineering
design out for a spin. Science & Children
Purzer et al. (2013) Cost or quality: Teaching
fourth and fifth graders about engineering
optimization tradeoffs. Science & Children
Article for your article review (more info to
come)
11/11
Class
13
11/18
Monday
12/1
*Bring “student
thinking probe” data
to class.
I will be on campus to collect the hard copy of
your CAT for scoring. (Time TBD)
Article Reviews
5E Lesson: Electricity
CAT final project
Due. Must be
uploaded to Task
Stream
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