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Syllabus

Integrated Science II- NSCI 3002 Spring 2002

222 Science Center 4:30-6:30 M W

Dr. Rod Nave, Mr. John Wilson, Dr. Pamela Burnley , Dr. Davon Kennedy, Dr. Ellen Verdel, Dr. Barbara Baumstark, Dr. Nydia Hanna

Course Website: http://scied.gsu.edu/Hanna/nsci/

Course Description:

Foundation concepts in chemistry and geology with integrated laboratory. Emphasis on connections to physics, astronomy and biology.

Course Focus:

The Integrated Science Sequence is a collaborative effort between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education at Georgia State University and comprises the science concentration for middle school teachers with a major or minor in science. Science forms a seamless web of knowledge about the universe. An understanding of basic science concepts will be necessary in our scientific and technologically rich societies of the future. This three semester integrated sequence of courses for middle school teachers encompasses physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology while emphasizing the overarching principles of science and their application to real-world situations. Each semester highlights the main concepts of two disciplines of science, while incorporating examples and general principles of the whole of science through the study of the applied theme of science "in and around your home". The theme serves two important functions; first to make the relevance of science to the student's daily lives unmistakable and second to provide an alternative structure and context in which the science content can be integrated. The development of the theme has been an ongoing project for two years by the Science STEP committee consisting of representatives from Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, Astronomy and Science Education. Science STEP is dedicated to designing a curriculum based on National Science Education Standards and that will align with Georgia Quality Core Curriculum for Middle Grades.

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to provide a substantial body of science background for middle school teachers. The course objectives are organized as questions:

Required Textbook:

Hill and Kolb, Chemistry for Changing Times, Prentice Hill, 2001

Trefil and Hazen, The Sciences, An Integrated Approach, John Wiley & Sons, 2001

Course Requirements:

There are several aspects of the course which will be required. These are as follows:

  1. Sign in to the course website at http://scied.gsu.edu/Hanna/nsci/ Go to the Bulletin Board and place an introductory greeting about yourself and what you find interesting in science.
  2. Keep a reflective journal of your experiences in this course. Your journal should include your "burning questions" about science and technology as we progress through the course.
  3. Develop the Integrated Science Portfolio .
  4. Take the traditional assessments- quizzes and final.
  5. Complete the laboratory activities and assignments. 

 

Grading and Assessments

Assessment of your performance in this course will be determined by a combination of methods. Your participation and products from assignments will be evaluated by the instructors. The overall assessment of your progress will also include an evaluation of your Integrated Science portfolio. Grade percentages as follows:

Laboratory activities and assignments

25%

Integrated Science Portfolio

20%

Quiz 1

15%

Quiz 2

15%

Final Exam

20%

Class Participation and Attendance

5%

Attendance Policy

Please refer to the University's statement on attendance. Because much learning in the field of science is experiential, good attendance is critical to understanding concepts presented in class. All proposed absences must be communicated to the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to deduct 5 points from the final grade for class absences.

 

This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary.

Integrated Science Portfolio- Portfolio assessment has become a widely cited technique for obtaining a rich demonstration of the skills that students have acquired, and it is often implied that portfolio assessment provides different types of information from that obtained from standardized tests. In Science Education, portfolios have been applied in student assessment, prospective science teacher education programs, and the assessment of practicing science teachers.

The portfolio will synthesize all work you have accomplished in the course. It will include your journal of "burning questions" as well as three portfolio elements. You will choose the elements from the list of approved projects or activities that will either focus on a single discipline in science, or address the integrated aspect of the sciences. You will be required to complete 3 required elements, and have a fourth element to choose from 2 options.

Due Dates: One element of your choice will be due on February 27 .

A second element will be due on April 8

All other elements, and revised elements, will be due on April 29.

Portfolio Rubric

Element

Description

Burning Questions

(required element)

Keep a log of "burning questions" about science and science topics as we go through the course. These may include questions you think of when out of class or at home. They may involve observations you make about scientific or technological items in your home. In addition, take the challenge and find out the answer to a burning question that was not answered in class or the book. Then find activities and information resources (internet included) about the topic that you may use in your middle school science classroom.

Your element will include:

1. Burning question Log- a list of your questions
2. One question answered in your own words, with references listed.
3.Lesson plan or activity to teach the science concept of the question to middle school students. You must have a description of how you would teach it in a classroom, and then you can also include copies of activities from the internet. A lesson plan template will be given.

Earth Science Scrapbook

(required element)

 

In order to demonstrate to your students that Earth Science is relevant to their lives, you will need to make connections between things that are familiar to your students and the concepts that you are going to teach them.  One way to do this is to make your students aware of Earth Science in the news.  Other ways to make these connections involve finding the "Earth science" in familiar objects.

Scrapbook Items:
        Over the course of the next two semesters, collect news articles, postcards, photos, advertisements and other images that illustrate one aspect or another of Earth science.  The assignment is to find the "geology" in things that will be familiar to your students, things that will help your students see the connection between the outside world and their Earth Science  lessons.  For this reason, you must use materials outside of textbooks and other prepared curriculum materials including those found on government and university web sites.  Some magazines, like Scientific American, National Geographic and Discover, have articles that look and sound very much like text books.  They are nice resource materials, but  for this assignment not more than 1 of your captioned items should be articles of this nature.  To discourage the use of textbook photos,  the back side of all clipped images must be accessible.  Electronic images are not permitted, with the exception of those that are contained in news articles.

Captions:
        Each item must have a caption that contains: 1) Earth Science content (topic) information - pretent you are explaining what the item depicts to a colleague who does not know any Earth Science, 2) information about the source of the item. Figuring out what Earth science content belongs in the caption may seem difficult at first.  However, it usually only requires a bit of brainstorming.  For example, when looking at a picture, ask yourself: "what do I see?".  If the answer is "a lake", then brainstorm on what you have learned about lakes in this class.  You might remember that a lake represents an area where the water table is above the ground's surface.  You could then incorporate this information into your caption.  Newspaper articles already have headlines and consist of lots of words, but they often don't give much in the way of geologic background information.  For example, they won't tell you where Turkey is relative to the plate boundaries and what tectonic process probably caused the recent large earthquake there.  An article might focus on the plants and animals living in a swamp but it won't mention what type of geologic environment it is or what type of rock is forming there.  The information regarding the source of the item should include the title of the publication, a volume and page number if appropriate, and a date.  If a news item was found on the web, then you must include the web address, the name of the organization responsible for the web site and the date the item was downloaded.

*Examples of topics:  landforms, streams, soil, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, igneous rocks, volcanoes, minerals
*Examples of sources:  magazine add, travel brochure, travel magazine article, educational magazine article, newspaper, worldwide web, personal travel photos, postcards, national park brochures
 

Chemistry Media Labs

(required element)

Do two media lab investigations from the online website accompanying your chemistry textbook. Choose the MediaLabs from the five listed below.

Chemistry for Changing Times website - with MediaLabs and practice questions for each chapter

Place the "communication of your results" in your portfolio. Instructions are on the website. You can print the page, and also send the results to your own email.

 

Household Molecular Chemistry

Choose a commonly seen molecule in households and design an informational lecture about the molecule and its existence and uses in the home. Include explanations of its chemical and physical properties that allow it to be used as it is used. Molecular explanations must include diagrams of the molecule, equations about its interactions with other molecules, pictures of its applications or use and any other pertinent information.This information must be presented as an original report and must not be printed directly from the internet. The information may be presented in a multimedia format, such as Powerpoint or webpages. References and sources must be cited.

ideas are: plastic, unsaturated fat, soap, nylon, polish remover, scotchguard, etc.

Have your molecule approved before you begin your project.

(you can not use water as the molecule)

 

Mars Odyssey

Currently, we are looking at mineral content and chemistry on Mars through the Odyssey mission among others. Compare and contrast earth and mars chemistry or landforms from what we know about the surface or under the surface of mars. Use terms and concepts from class in your comparisons/contrasts of earth and mars.

For your portfolio, choose 3 concepts, landforms, chemical molecules or other aspects of mars and earth. Explain in detail with diagrams or pictures. 500 words or more for EACH concept. We would encourage you to stay away from listing facts and perform a true comparison/contrast as detailed on the rubric.
 

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