Brooklyn College Spring 1999

School of Education Section LM

Dr. Eleanor Miele Tuesday 8:00-8:50 A.M.

Office: James 2416 Field: Thursday 9-11 A.M.

Phone: Office (718) 951-5061 Office Hours: Tues & Wed 1-3 Home (718) 965-2070 (times of necessity)

email emiele@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Doris, E. (1991). Doing What Scientists Do: Children Learn to Investigate Their World Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.

Bosak S. V. et. al. (1991). Science Is...; 2nd Ed. Ontario, Canada: Scholastic Canada, Ltd. (To be purchased directly from professor at discount.)

This course, in conjunction with Gen Sci 20, will give you the opportunity to explore science as a way of knowing the world and as a tool for problem solving as you explore ideas for facilitating science exploration in the early childhood classroom. We will be actively engaged in doing science as well as talking about it and reading about it. It is therefore essential that you attend every session. Science is a collaborative and participatory experience. It is much more about process than it is about facts. You need to be prepared to join in and explore.

Each week you will have the opportunity to try out at your field placement what we learned in the lab or on field trips. You will begin to create appropriate science activities that will allow you to become the catalyst for having students excited and energized about doing their own investigations.

Glossary of assignments:

All assignments, except journal pages, must be typed.

SCIENCE AUTOBIOGRAPHY - This is your initial writing assignment. You will be asked to reflect upon your own school and out-of-school science experiences from your earliest memory to the present. You will build on what you wrote and discussed in Education 38. Take out your old autobiography and read it over. Think about how Science 10 and Education 38 did or did not give you a new perspective with which to reflect upon your past history as a science learner. What was it like for you? Did you like it? hate it? not have much of it? Be as candid as you possibly can and remember that we learn forwards and backwards at the same time.

SCAVENGER HUNT: Explore a minimum of 10 items.

1. Read an article from Science and Children (periodical of the National Science Teachers Association).

2. Read a science article from Natural History, Discover, Smithsonian, etc.

3. Read Ranger Rick, 3-2-1 Contact, National Geographic World or other children's nature magazine.

4. Read a book on science experiments for children.

5. Read a children's science trade book, (a factual book on any science topic.)

6. Read a children's novel (fiction) on a science related topic.

7. Read a children's biography of a scientist or inventor.

8. Read The Way Things Work by David Macaulay.

9. Read The Dorling-Kindserly Science Encyclopedia or other science publication by this press.

10. Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS

11. Watch The Magic School Bus on PBS

12. Search the internet for information on a science question of your choice.

13. Collect a K-6 science lesson plan from the internet.

14. Check out a science related field trip location.

15. Read an elementary school science textbook.

16. Try out educational software such as Encarta Encyclopedia on CD-ROM or science education programs or games.

17. Your own idea. (Be sure to tell me why it belongs on the scavenger hunt!)

Demonstrate having collected your scavenger hunt items with a paper consisting of a favorite quote from each item and a brief paragraph describing how each resource can help you teach science. Include citations. Submit to me via e-mail to receive extra credit.

SCONIC MEETING - SCONIC (Science Council of New York) holds an all-day annual conference each Spring. You should attend this conference. Extra credit will be given for attendance and reporting on this meeting.

UNIT PLAN - As you become acquainted with curriculum creation during the term you will write a plan for a science unit that you and your cooperating teacher will use during the term. You will acquire materials and write a plan for a series of lessons, each of which integrates science and related areas (math, language arts, social studies, etc.) The creation and implementation of this unit at your site will be a major part of your grade.

As with other activities, collaboration between members of the class is encouraged, however each student will have a unique perspective and is expected to hand in an original plan reflecting the unique needs of their students and their own interests.

As the term goes on we will use a number of investigations from some science curricula such as STC, SCIS 3, FOSS, AIMS, or INSIGHTS. You should also refer to other sources such as texts, the internet, and independently produced teachers' resources and curricula. You are expected to apply the criteria for excellent science lessons that we develop over the semester in selecting and sequencing your lessons. Please remember that all activities must be hands-on or minds-on. You must also write a concise rationale for your selections as an introduction to the plan. You should also describe briefly how your students responded to your presentation of the lessons and how you have revised your plans in response to your observations.

FIELD WORK

Each week students will be required to spend 2 hours each of two days in a field placement in the public schools. While in the field, you will be expected to run at least a 20 minute hands-on science activity with part or all of the class on at least one of the two days. The method of delivery will be expected to be similar to the those modeled in Ed 45 and General Science 20. You will be observed twice.

You should reflect on your experiences in the field each day. Hand in journal entries for field observations at the end of each week.

For each observation you should have a lesson plan prepared with one copy available to the instructor prior to the observation. You will then submit this plan together with your own critique at the next class meeting. You will also do two peer observations - you and another student will observe each other, each taking on the role of (constructive) critical observer.

The syllabus is our guide and may be subject to change and modification as the course proceeds.

Classwork Part - 33%

* Scavenger Hunt 50%

* Unit Plan 50%

Fieldwork Part - 33%

* Peer Observations & Logs 25%

* Instructor Observations 75%

Final Examination - 33%

Thurs. 1/28 First Meeting/Introductions

Tues. 2/2 Course Requirements/Classroom Culture, Elementary Science Syllabus and

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapter 1; Doris, Introduction & Chapter 1

Thurs. 2/4 No meeting

Tues. 2/9 How Children Learn Science

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapter 2; Doris, Chapter 2

Thurs. 2/11 Field 1

Tues. 2/16 Conversion day-Friday Schedule - no meeting

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapter 3

Due today: Science Autobiography

Thurs. 2/18 Public School Closed - Meet in 1102 P

Tues. 2/23 Using Computers in Teaching Science - meet in 1102P then go to library labs

Readings: Doris, Chapters 3 & 4

Thurs. 2/25 Field 2 - Observation 1 Group A

Tues. 3/2 Planning & Facilitating Science Activities

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapters 7 & 8

Thurs. 3/4 Field 3 - Early Dismissal for Public Schools - Observation B1

Tues. 3/9 Sharing Our Field Experiences

Readings: Doris, Chapter 5

Thurs. 3/11 Field 4 - Early Dismissal for Public Schools - Observation C1

Tues. 3/16 Scientific Skill Development

Readings: Doris, Chapter 6

Thurs. 3/18 Field 5 - Observation D1

Tues. 3/23 How To Use Different Resources for Teaching Science

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapters 4 & 5

Thurs. 3/25 Field 6 - Observation E1

Tues. 3/30 Evaluating Programs

Due today: Scavenger Hunt

Thurs. 4/1 Spring Break

Tues. 4/6 Spring Break

Thurs. 4/8 Spring Break - Make up observations if necessary

Tues. 4/13 Evaluating Programs - cont'd

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapters 11-13

Thurs. 4/15 Field 7 - Observation A2

Tues. 4/20 How To Arrange & Manage Complementary Experiences

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapters 14 & 15

Due today: Peer Observation

Thurs. 4/22 Field 8 - Observation B2

Tues. 4/27 Field Trip-Location to be Determined

Readings: Doris, Chapter 8

Thurs. 4/29 Field 9 - Observation C2

Tues. 5/4 Using field experiences in teaching science.

Readings: Harlan & Rivkin, Chapter 16

Due today: Unit Plan

Thurs. 5/6 Field 10 - Observation D2

Tues. 5/11 How to Assess Science Education

Readings: Doris, Chapter 7

Thurs. 5/13 Field 11 - Observation E2

Tues. 5/18 Summation

Thurs. 5/20 Field 12 - Early Dismissal for Public Schools

Make-up observations

Thurs. 5/27 Final Exam 8AM - 10 AM

You are a guest in your cooperating teacher's classroom, always treat your cooperating teacher with respect.

You are an apprentice professional and a role model, dress, speak and behave like a professional whenever you are in or near your placement.

Never smoke in or near your placement.

You should have your cooperating teacher sign your logs or punch in at the school time clock.

You should offer to give your cooperating teacher your phone number or to arrive early or stay late in order to confer with your cooperating teacher when the children are not present.

You are expected to teach on a science topic in small groups for 15 to 20 minutes each visit.

Your topic and lesson should be chosen in conference with your cooperating teacher.

Your lesson should integrate with and enhance ongoing learning in the classroom; it should not be unrelated to the science study or thematic unit of the classroom.

You may teach the same lesson to up to three groups and record your progress.

The remainder of your visit you should observe and assist your cooperating teacher.

You should observe how individual students learn and how groups of students interact.

If you will be absent you should contact the office at the placement and inform your cooperating teacher.

You are responsible to make up absences at a mutually convenient time.