Upton Academy Workshop
Western Michigan Universityıs Southwest Campus
SCI 570 Life Science for Elementary Educators (3 credits)
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Instructor: |
Class Meets: |
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Dr. David W. Rudge |
June 27-July 8, 2005 |
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Department of Biological Sciences, WMU |
9:00-3:00 pm |
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Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5410 |
Rm. 1303 |
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david.rudge@wmich.edu |
FAX: (269) 387-5609 |
Course Description:
"This course will involve participants in several activities especially designed to help them achieve and understanding of some of the important concepts of biology. The course is designed and taught to address the needs of K-12 teachers. It is a variable topics course and may be repeated for credit if different topics are involved. Intended for
delivery in a one-to-two week format." (2004-6 WMU Graduate Catalogue, p. 96)
Prerequisites
Teacher certification or baccalaureate plus work towards certification.
Required Texts/Materials: A course pack of materials will be distributed during our first
meeting.
Course Rationale
In SCI 570 we will explore how scientists study phenomena in the biological subdisciplines of anatomy and physiology, ecology genetics, molecular and cell biology, and evolution with reference to state and national benchmarks for scientific literacy. This course has also been developed to help participants become self-reflective about how
children learn biology and the implications of these reflections for teaching practice.
Course Objectives for SCI 570
Participants will:
1) develop a deeper, more meaningful understanding of basic biological concepts deemed essential for K-6 instruction with reference to state and national education
standards;
2) refine their understanding of scientific inquiry and inquiry-based science instruction;
3) reflect upon the nature and practice of biology as a process rather than a body of
disconnected facts to be memorized;
4) become familiar with typical misconceptions children have about biological
phenomena and processes;
5) develop appropriate instructional materials that support meaningful learning
that are aligned with state and national science education standards
6) develop a strategy for how to assess the efficacy of these materials in their own classroom.
Instructional Methods and Activities
Our academy will meets Monday through Friday for two weeks, from Monday June 27 through Friday July 8, excluding Monday July 4. A variety of pedagogical strategies will be used, including brief lectures, activities, discussions and videotapes. Time will be provided on each day to prepare for group microteaching presentations on the last two days of class (July 7-8). There will be two additional day-long follow-up meetings that will be held over the course of the coming academic year.
References and Resources
Course web site: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~rudged/upton.html
Policies and Procedures
Attendance and participation:
Attendance and participation in class is required of all students. More importantly, the discussions scheduled for class times are an essential part of your professional preparation.
Students with Special Needs:
Students with disabilities or other special needs who need special accommodations in this course are invited to share these concerns or requests with the instructor as soon as possible.
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the 2004-2006 WMU Graduate Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity, pp. 25-27. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Course requirements:
Students will evaluated on the basis of three written assignments and participation as follows:
Name of Assignment Points
1. Participation 250
2. Microteaching 250
3. Lesson Plan 250
4, Action Research project 250
1000
The class participation grade is not an attendance grade, i.e. you will not receive any credit in this regard merely for being present at the class. Likewise, you will not receive full credit merely for saying something. Your instructor will assign this part of the grade on a daily basis with reference to whether you have been an active participant during the day's activities.
The microteaching component of your grade will be evaluated with reference to a presentation of the results of an ecological experiment and a specific lesson you develop with a partner that discusses how you might use the activity to promote learning of ecology in your classroom. Your group will submit a brief write up of the results of your experiment and a written lesson plan on Friday, July 8.
The lesson plan component of your grade is an opportunity for you and a partner to develop a lesson plan for your classrooms that addresses a specific student misconception about some biological concept. A written lesson plan, together with a brief presentation for the benefit of your classmates, is due during our first additional class meeting.
The action research component of your grade is an opportunity for you and your partner to evaluate the efficacy of your proposed lesson. A written report, together with a brief presentation for the benefit of your classmates, is due during our second additional class meeting.
Grading Procedures:
Grades for final assignments 1 day late will be reduced 10%, 2 days late 20%, and more than 2 days late 30%. Final grades for the course will be determined by dividing
the total number of points the student has accumulated by 10.
A: 92-100 BA: 88-91
B: 82-87 CB: 78-81
C: 72-77 DC: 68-71
D: 62-67 E: 61 or less
Tentative Schedule
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Date |
Time |
Topic |
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Mon Jun 27 |
9:00-11:00 |
Introductions, Review of the Syllabus, Track your Understanding |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
The Mystery Tube |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
Minds of our Own: Lessons from Thin Air |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Tues Jun 28 |
9:00-11:00 |
What is Life? |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Concept Mapping |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
Sheep Heart Dissection I |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Wed Jun 29 |
9:00-11:00 |
Classifying Living things |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Histology |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
Sheep Heart Dissection II |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Thu Jun 30 |
9:00-11:00 |
Animal Life Cycles |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
The Cookie Lab |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
Sheep Heart Dissection III |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Fri Jul 1 |
9:00-11:00 |
Plant Life Cycles |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
The Virtual Forest |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-3:00 |
Free time to write up microteaching experiments |
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Date |
Time |
Topic |
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Mon Jul 4 |
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No class |
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Tues Jul 5 |
9:00-11:00 |
Energy Flow in Communities |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Mystery Pellet Lab |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
The Mystery Phenomenon I |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Wed Jul 6 |
9:00-11:00 |
Material Cycles in Ecosystems |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Why and How Does Decomposition Occur? |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
The Mystery Phenomenon II |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiments |
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Thu Jul 7 |
9:00-11:00 |
Variation, Adaptation, and Natural Selection |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Reflections on Variation |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-2:15 |
The Mystery Phenomenon III |
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2:15-2:20 |
BREAK |
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2:20-3:00 |
Microteaching experiment presentation #1 |
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Fri Jul 8 |
9:00-11:00 |
Evolution and the Tree of Life |
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11:00-11:05 |
BREAK |
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11:05-11:45 |
Track your understanding |
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11:45-12:45 |
LUNCH |
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12:45-1:10 |
Review of Directions for Lesson Plan Assignment |
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1:10-3:00 |
Microteaching experiment presentations #2 & 3 |