SCIE 376: Teaching Science in the Elementary School – Fall 2013
Instructor: Dr. Sarah Haines
Office: Smith Hall 315
Office Hours: By Appointment (we’ll find a place/time or we’ll phone conference)
Phone: Emergencies: 410-978-7246
Email:
Class Meeting Times, Day, and Locations: 12:30 to 4:20 Wednesdays
Towson University 8/28 and 9/4
West Towson Elementary School (all other days)
Course Objectives & Corresponding National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Standards for Science Teacher Preparation
This course has been designed to help you ... NSTA Standard
• Understand the nature of inquiry-based science instruction as an
effective teaching method 3, 5, 8
• Become exposed to state and national science standards 6
• Practice inquiry-based science teaching 2, 3, 5, 8
• Develop the skills necessary to facilitate inquiry learning 2, 3, 4, 5
• Develop, analyze, critique, and modify science lessons 1, 5, 6, 8
• Reflect on your science teaching and how it could be improved 10
Required materials:
• Course text (required): “SCIE 376: Teaching Science in Elementary School ” by Sarah Haines.
• A badge holder for your ID that you will use at the school.
• You must use Blackboard and resources on it (e.g., to download skeleton plans).
NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation
Standard1:Content.Teachers of science understand and can articulate the knowledge and practicesof contemporary science ... can interrelate and interpret important concepts, ideas, and applications intheir fields of licensure; and can conduct scientific investigations ... are prepared to teach content...
Standard2:NatureofScience.Teachers of science engage students effectively in studies of thehistory, philosophy, and practice of science ... enable students to distinguish science from non-science, understand the evolution and practice of science as a human endeavor, and critically analyzeassertions made in the name of science ... are prepared to teach the nature of science.
Standard3: Inquiry.Teachers of science engage students both in studies of various methods ofscientific inquiry and in active learning through scientific inquiry ... encourage students, individuallyand collaboratively, to observe, ask questions, design inquiries, and collect and interpret data in order to develop concepts and relationships from empirical experiences ... are prepared to teach throughinquiry.
Standard4:Issues. Teachers of science recognize that informed citizens must be prepared to makedecisions and take action on contemporary science-and technology-related issues of interest to thegeneral society ... require students to conduct inquiries into the factual basis of such issues and toassess possible actions and outcomes based upon their goals and values ... are prepared to engagestudents in studies of issues related to science.
Standard5:GeneralSkillsofTeaching. Teachers of science create a community of diverse learners whoconstruct meaning from their science experiences and possess a disposition for further exploration andlearning ... use, and can justify, a variety of classroom arrangements, groupings, actions, strategies, andmethodologies ... are prepared to create a community of diverse learners.
Standard6:Curriculum. Teachers of science plan and implement an active, coherent, and effectivecurriculum that is consistent with the goals and recommendations of the National Science EducationStandards ... begin with the end in mind and effectively incorporate contemporary practices andresources into their planning and teaching ... are prepared to plan and implement an effective sciencecurriculum.
Standard 7: ScienceintheCommunity.Teachers of science relate their discipline to their local andregional communities, involving stakeholders and using the individual, institutional, and natural resourcesof the community in their teaching ... actively engage students in science-related studies or activitiesrelated to locally important issues ... are prepared to relate science to the community.
Standard 8: Assessment.Teachersofscienceconstructanduseeffectiveassessmentstrategiesto determinethebackgroundsandachievementsoflearnersandfacilitatetheir intellectual,social,andpersonaldevelopment. ...assessstudentsfairlyandequitably,andrequirethatstudentsengageinongoingself-assessment. ...arepreparedtouseassessmenteffectively.
Standard 9: Safety and Welfare. Teachersofscienceorganize safe andeffectivelearningenvironmentsthatpromotethesuccessofstudentsandthewelfareofall living things ...requireandpromoteknowledgeandrespectforsafety,andoverseethewelfareof all livingthingsusedintheclassroomorfoundinthefield.
Standard 10: Professional Growth. Teachersofsciencestrivecontinuouslytogrowandchange, personally and professionally ,tomeetthediverseneedsoftheirstudents,school,community,andprofession. ...haveadesireanddispositionforgrowthandbetterment.
The Principles of Inquiry: This course is guided by four core principles of inquiry, each ofwhich has associated corollaries:
Principle#1:Inquiry-BasedLearningBeginswithanInquiryQuestion.
Each lesson seeks to answer one or more inquiry questions about concepts or relationships inscience. Inquiry questions (e.g., “What kinds of materials stick to a magnet?”) provide anoverall purpose for the entire lesson, and may be generated by the teacher or thestudents. These questions should be explicitly stated using language that is easilyunderstandable.
Corollary 1.1: In general, since inquiry-based science is not intended to be a review offamiliar ideas, students should not already know the answers to the inquiry questions.
Corollary 1.2: Inquiry questions are different from the questions that teachers routinelypose to the class or to individual students during an inquiry science lesson (e.g., "Whatdo you know about magnets?", "Why do you think that happened?").
Principle#2:Inquiry-BasedLearningIsStudentCentered.
Students are the center of the learning process. The instructor provides varying degrees ofstructure and guidance during the lesson (e.g., by providing materials, asking good questions,and holding discussions). However, it is the students (individually, as a small group, or as anentire class) who are ultimately expected to answer the inquiry question(s) on their own. Inaddition, whenever possible, the teacher allows students to engage in hands-on scientificactivities themselves, rather than doing these for the students as a demonstration.
Corollary 2.1: The teacher does not explain answers to inquiry questions (e.g., vialecture or reading books) for students prior to students answering the questions forthemselves.
Corollary 2.2: The students must be allowed sufficient time for discussion and reflectionto formulate their own answers to inquiry questions.
Corollary 2.3: The teacher provides explanations and answers only when absolutely necessary. After the students have already come to a consensus on the answers to theinquiry question, it is appropriate for the teacher to help the class clarify and elaborateupon these answers, as well as to introduce scientific terminology and definitions. Suchclarification or elaboration may take a variety of forms, including short lecture, readingbooks, or watching videos.
Principle#3:Inquiry-BasedLearningInvolvesDeepThinkingabouttheAnswersto
InquiryQuestions.
Lessons should prompt students to think deeply about scientific concepts and relationships.
This can be accomplished through small-group and whole-class discussions, hands-onexperiments (which are often cooperative), reading texts to generate questions, and other means.
Corollary 3.1: Deep thinking should occur in all aspects of inquiry-based science, includingthe sharing of initial ideas, participation in hands-on science activities, the presentationand discussion of scientific observations (i.e., scientific data), and the eventual answeringof the inquiry question(s).
Corollary 3.2: Scientific experiments are not the only activities that can support deepthinking. For example, having students draw and discuss space suit design is a perfectlyacceptable avenue for thinking about the properties of space in an inquiry-based manner.
Corollary 3.3: Inquiry-based lessons should not solely or primarily consist of hands-onactivities that do not support deep thinking about science. For example, while makingmobiles about the stages of frog growth may be an appropriate part of a science lessonon frog development, in and of itself it would not constitute an inquiry-based lesson.
Corollary 3.4: Inquiry-based lessons do not focus on the memorization of right answersand vocabulary words.
Principle#4: Inquiry-BasedLearningEmphasizesEvidence-BasedReasoning.
Students are encouraged to provide evidence and reasoning for their predictions,observations and their answers to inquiry questions. This evidence will draw upon everydayexperience, experimental data, common sense, and prior knowledge. Students are frequently asked to answer questions like, "Why do you think that?" or "Can you explain yourreasoning?"
Corollary 4.1: One purpose of encouraging students to use evidence during scientificexperimentation is to revisit and revise their scientific ideas.
Corollary 4.2: Teachers should ask students to share evidence both verbally and inwritten form
Scientific & Engineering Practices
There are eight “Scientific & Engineering Practices” within the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Among the eight practices, only two (Practices 1 and 6) are markedly different for engineering than for science (see Table, below).
Table: Scientific & Engineering Practices.
Scientific Practices / Engineering Practices1 / Asking Questions / Defining Problems
2 / Developing and Using models
3 / Planning and Carrying out Investigations
4 / Analyzing and Interpreting data
5 / Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
6 / Constructing Explanations / Designing Solutions
7 / Engaging in Argument from Evidence
8 / Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
In what follows, each practice – as it would look in the elementary classroom – is described. For Practices 1 and 6, the practice is described first with respect to science, and then with respect to engineering.
Practice 1: Asking Questions (for Science)
Questions guide elementary science investigations, whether the students or the teacher/ curriculum create(s) those questions. Examples include: What does an earthworm eat? Where does the sun rise and set? How can we use a wire, battery, and bulb to light a bulb? or What is the relationship between the force applied to an object and the resulting motion of the object?
In addition, students should be encouraged to ask many questions as they engage in the entire science learning process. The authors of the Framework articulate this well: “Students at any grade level should be able to ask questions of each other about the texts they read, the features of the phenomena they observe, and the conclusions they draw from their models of scientific investigations” (NRC, 2012, p. 55).
Practice 1: Defining Problems (for Engineering)
Meeting this practice in elementary school means that students should be given opportunities to define a problem “that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system” (Achieve, Inc., 2013, p. 4 Appendix F). Older elementary students should be able to not only define this problem, but also specify the constraints (materials, time, cost) and criteria for success. No matter the age, students should be given opportunities to envision – through drawings or written descriptions or rudimentary models (e.g., play dough) – what the designed solution might look like; however, the emphasis here is on students defining the problem, not on implementing a solution.
For example, a young child may define the following problem: “I want to be able to pick up an insect to look at it up close, but I do not want to have to touch the bug.” She might envision – through drawings – a tool that could be built to solve this problem. An older elementary student who suggests the same problem would consider possible constraints (e.g., less than $2.00 to make) and criteria (e.g., must not harm the insect).
Practice 2: Developing and Using Models
Developing models: Elementary students can generate their own models of phenomena, which are usually represented by labeled drawings. For example, students might: illustrate their understanding of a concept (e.g., the water cycle within a closed container); then investigate the phenomenon; and then revise their model according to their investigation.
Using models: Elementary students often use models such as drawings, computer animations, or physical objects. For example, students might learn how to represent a force on an object using an arrow or may examine physical models of the solar system to help them get a sense of relative diameters of the planets. As students get into upper-elementary and middle level grades, they may use other kinds of models like equations and computer simulations.
Practice 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Planning Investigations: In today’s elementary classrooms, when children do science, they often carry out investigations that teachers/curricula have planned for them. However, children can help plan simple investigations, and – given the appropriate amount of time – can plan investigations themselves. Even kindergarteners who want to know what worms eat can contribute ideas about how to investigate this question.
Carrying Out Investigations: Elementary children frequently conduct experiments (e.g., by altering one variable to see how it affects another variable) and make observations (inside and outside of the classroom). Students can also postulate ideas about the world as a theoretical scientist might.
Practice 4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
The emphasis of this practice for elementary children is on using words, drawings, or numbers to carefully record observations in an organized way to be able to compare, contrast, and make sense of patterns. Students can be encouraged to use tables, graphs or drawings to represent numeric and non-numeric data. Examples of data that elementary students might analyze and interpret include: measurements of how far a car travels after leaving a ramp (numerical data), whether or not an item sinks or floats (categorical data), and direct observations of the life cycle stages of a butterfly (observational data). Computers and other digital devices should be used to organize and represent data when available and accessible to students.
Practice 5: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Elementary students can engage in this practice when mathematical skills and concepts are both relevant to the scientific investigation and appropriate given students’ mathematical abilities. Young children may use basic skills like counting or relative measurement (e.g., determining how far something traveled in “blocks” instead of inches). As students gain mathematical experience, they can use basic operations (e.g., to determine how far an object traveled by adding two legs of the trip together) and graphing techniques.
Practice 6: Constructing Explanations (for Science)
When elementary students attempt to answer the question, “Why?” in science, they are engaged in constructing an explanation. These explanations take the following form: [this event/phenomenon] happened because [application of science concepts].
For example, a fifth grade student may be asked: Why do both light bulbs dim when a bulb is added to a simple circuit already containing a bulb? The student may explain:
Explanation: Both bulbs become dimmer when the second bulb is added because the total amount of resistance in the circuit has increased. An increase in resistance causes a decrease in current, and a decrease in current causes a decrease in bulb brightness.
Note that this explanation is connected to core ideas in electricity (in this case, about the relationship between resistance and current).[1]
Practice 6: Designing Solutions (for Engineering)
Elementary children design solutions by using a simpleengineering design process, e.g.:[2]
Step 1.Define the Problem (See Practice 1 for Engineering.)
Step 2.Consider what we Know – Students consider what they already know (e.g., about science or everyday experience) that might help them solve the problem.
Step 3.Brainstorm – Students imagine as many ways to solve the problem as possible, often sketching those ideas.
Step 4.Plan – Students pick one of the brainstormed ideas (Design 1) and create a plan, often including a materials list, a labeled drawing, and instructions about how it works.
Step 5.Create – Students follow through with the plan, creating the designed solution.
Step 6.Test – Students test Design 1 and document how it performed.
Step 7.Improve – In light of testing results, students repeat steps 3, 4, 5, and 6 for Design 2, attempting to improve upon Design 1. Students may repeat this step as time allows.
Practice 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Elementary students engage in argument from evidence anytime they make a claim (e.g., a statement that they regard to be true) and provide evidence and reasoning to support that claim.
For example, a class of elementary students is trying to decide whether an “empty” cup is really empty. To do this, students make observations of clear plastic cups that are turned upside down and pushed under water. After the observations are complete, a student argues:
Claim: The “empty” cup is not really empty. There is actually air inside the cup.
Evidence-based reasoning: I think that there is air in the cup because the upside-down cup did not completely fill with water when it was pushed under water (the evidence). The air that was caught in the upside-down cup stopped all of the water from coming in (the reason).
Engaging in argument from evidence also includes occasions when students provide reasons why they agree or disagree with another student’s claim.
Practice 8: Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information
Obtaining Information: Elementary students may obtain information in multiple ways (e.g., by reading, watching videos, listening to the teacher or their peers). However, the emphasis of this practice is on when students obtain information by reading grade-level appropriate science texts or watching/listening to “other reliable media” (Achieve, Inc., 2013, p. 15 Appendix F). Here “other reliable media” may include watching videos (e.g., Planet Earth).
Evaluating Information: Elementary students can evaluate what they read about science by: examining the evidence the author(s) use to make claims in the text, and by comparing what they know (e.g., from class investigations) to the claims in the text.
Communicating Information: Elementary students communicate information by:
- Sharing their ideas verbally in group and class discussions;
- Writing and drawing their observations and ideas (e.g., predictions, models, and explanations);
- Writing reports that utilize information from scientific texts/media; and
- Engaging in more formal opportunities to present their work (e.g., on posters).
Note about terminology:
To avoid confusion, we’ll refer to you (the SCIE 376 undergraduates) as Towson interns,
the school site teachers as mentorteachers,the elementary students as students,and
me (your practicum instructor) as your Towson instructor.
Course Activities:
• For the first two weeks, SCIE 376 will meet at Towson University and focus on methods of good inquiry-based science instruction, the processof analyzing and modifying science lessons, co-teaching and elementary sciencecontent. For the remainder the semester, class will meet atWest Towson Elementary School.
• Every week, each intern will co-teach science to the same group of about 12 3rdgrade elementary students at West Towson. Co-teaching partners will remain the samethroughout the course.