Biology 1082
General Biology for Educators
Spring 2012
Instructor: Dr. Rudi Thompson, Assistant Professor
Office Hours: Tuesdays: 4:00 – 5:00 pm;
Thursdays: 9:30 – 11:30 am.
Office: EESAT 310D Office Phone: 940-891-6713 email:
This class meets in the GAB, #104,
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8:00-9:20 am
There are three (3) choices for the Required Text. Students may select:
1) A. (Web text) Life On Earth with Mastering Biology, 9th Edition,
Audesirk, Audesirk, & Byers
ISBN# 321-682467
OR
B. (A la carte – no cover) Life On Earth with Mastering Biology, 9th
Edition, Audesirk, Audesirk, & Byers
ISBN# 0321742222
OR
C. (Hardcover) Life On Earth with Mastering Biology, 9th Edition,
Audesirk, Audesirk, & Byers
ISBN# 0321-681517
2) REQUIRED Technology: (Rent or buy) E-instruction CPS RF Clicker.
ISBN# 978-1-8814-8371-7
3) REQUIRED Laboratory Manual: The Scope of Biology: From Cells to Ecosystems, Thompson, Neugent, King, & Piccolo.
ISBN# 978-0-7575-4428-6
Recommended Text: Life On Earth Student Study Guide, 5th Edition, Sonja Stampfler & Ruthanne Thompson, ISBN# 0131755390.
Course Description:
Biology 1082 is a general biology course designated for elementary and middle school education majors for certification in laboratory science. Note: This course may not be used to satisfy the laboratory science requirement for majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. The objectives of the course are to:
ü Aid students in developing a meaningful and functional command of key biological concepts.
ü Aid students in understanding the interrelationships among all living things.
ü To help students develop more positive attitudes about science.
ü To increase students confidence in their ability to do science (efficacy).
ü To provide students with a problem-solving environment in order to create insight into the nature of science.
ü To explore alternative conceptions of scientific phenomena.
Course Rationale
Under state accreditation guidelines elementary and 4-8 generalist education programs are required to prepare future teachers to teach science. UNT requires an elementary major Interdisciplinary Studies student to take a minimum of 4 sciences and a 4th-8th Generalist to take a minimum of 5 sciences. In both cases, Biol 1082 meets this requirement. It has been specifically designed to prepare future teachers to teach life science at the K-8 levels with references to state and national benchmarks for scientific literacy.
Goals
Students will:
1. Become familiar with the TEKS and TAKS related to the life sciences.
2. Begin to understand the importance of the life sciences for children.
3. Recognize the process of doing science, rather than memorizing a body of facts.
4. Gain a better understanding of what biological concepts are the most important for children to learn; and
5. Reflect upon how one learns biology as a preservice teacher and the implications of these reflections on how it would be /should be /is taught to children.
Instructional Methods and Activities
BIOL 1082 meets twice per week for lecture and one time per week for lab. This class may have a different format from what many of you may have come to expect from previous experiences. The class will consist of a variety of the following: lectures, class discussions, clicker questions, working in small groups, and homework. While this is not a methods class, the point of learning the life sciences within the context of your career is so that you can begin to practice how you will be expected to teach science in a K-8 classroom.
Policies and Procedures
Attendance and participation:
Attendance and participation in class activities is highly recommended for all students. The discussions and group activities scheduled for class times are an essential part of your professional preparation. There will be in-class activities for which attendance will be required.
Disability Accommodations:
The Department of Biological Sciences, in cooperation with the Office of Disability Accommodation, complies with Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Please present your written request before the 12th class day so that necessary arrangements may be made.
Academic Misconduct:
Any student suspected of, or caught in the act of, cheating will receive a grade of zero for the assignment and the matter will be turned over to the Office of Student Development.
Course Requirements
Students will be evaluated on the basis of class attendance and participation, homework, laboratory work, and three exams as follows:
Exams = 45%
In Class and Online Activities = 25%
Laboratory grade = 30%
ü Exams – there will be three (3) exams given during the semester. The exams will include short answer; fill in the blank; matching, and multiple-choice questions. The exams will be less focused on discrete facts and more focused on conceptual understanding.
o Students MAY have the opportunity to re-take ONE exam for the semester. This could be done to replace a missed exam or to attempt to improve a grade on one of the first 2 exams. Students will be required to sign up for the re-takes and they will only be offered during dead week.
ü In Class and Online Activities – there will be three (3) activities that will be conducted in the classroom and six (6) that will be conducted online. In addition, there will be opportunities to earn bonus points using the interactive Clickers during class.
ü Laboratory work – the laboratory portion of this course is critical and constitutes 30% of the overall grade. A student must pass both the laboratory portion and the lecture portion of the course in order to receive a passing grade for the class.
ü Extra Credit – there MAY be a variety of possible extra credit opportunities including, but not limited to:
o Clicker questions (added to test points)
o Family Fun Science Saturday event(s)
o Volunteering at the Elm Fork Education Center
Note: The last day to drop a course and receive a refund is Friday, February 24th.
TRiO Tutoring Opportunities
Located in Highland Hall, #201
Services:
· Free Tutoring
· Academic and Career Guidance
· Study Skills Assistance
· Financial Aid and Scholarship Assistance
· Graduate School Advising
· Peer Mentoring
Resources
· Book lending library
· Computer lab
· Free Co-curricular social/cultural programming
· Incentives, monetary incentives and give-a-ways
Eligibility Criteria
· Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
· Have academic need, and
· Qualify under one or more of the following categories:
1. Have parents or guardians who do not have a four year college degree.
2. Have economic need (as established by the U.S. Department of Education.
3. Have a diagnosed learning or physical disability.
BIOL 1082 General Biology for Education Majors
Tentative Course Schedule
1/17/2011 Introduction to Course; course goals and expectations; student goals and expectations.
Overall Course Goals:
1) Aid students in developing a meaningful and functional command of key biological concepts.
2) Aid students in understanding the interrelationships among all living things
3) Help students develop more positive attitudes about science
4) Increase students confidence in their ability to do science (efficacy)
5) Provide students with problem-solving environment in order to create insight into the nature of science and; to model the practice of guided inquiry
6) To explore alternative conceptions of scientific phenomena
Overall Student Goals for Course:
1) Teach science effectively
2) Be comfortable with the subject
3) Teach to different learning styles
4) Creative instruction
5) Familiarity with TEKS & TAKS
6) Big picture of science
7) Science tools for classroom
8) Outdoor investigations
9) Teach science conceptually
10) “Grade appropriate” science concepts
Specific Student Goals met through 1082 Laboratory experience:
1) Communicating observations
2) Safety procedures
3) Metric system
4) Computer skills?
5) Presentation (communication) methods
6) Tables and graphs
7) Planning and conducting (safe) scientific investigations
8) Writing scientific reports
9) Direct and indirect evidence
Specific Student Goals met throughout this course:
1) Questions to ask during observations
2) What is a scientist and what do different scientists do
3) Making predictions (hypotheses)
4) Understanding what is age appropriate
5) Selecting appropriate materials and equipment
6) Data recording, organizing and interpretation
7) Modeling
8) Communicating to children
9) Ways to make learning science fun and interesting
10) Recognizing patterns
11) Effectively working with students with “disabilities”
Concept 1 Life?!
Schedule: 1-19, 1-24, 1-26, 1-31, 2-2, 2-7, 2-9, 2-14, 2-16, 2/21
Student Goals:
1) Living and nonliving things
2) Scientific method
3) Contribution of early scientists
4) Atoms and molecules
5) Plant reproduction
6) Plant parts
7) Cells (parts and functions), prokaryotes, eukaryotes
8) Chemical symbols (elements)
9) Photosynthesis (CO2 and O2 cycling)
10) Classifying matter
11) Energy flow
12) Change over time
Assignment 1 – “Miller-Urey” due on or before ~ 1/24 (online Blackboard)
Assignment 2 due on or before ~ 1/31 (online Mastering)
Assignment 3 parts 1 & 2 due ~ 2/7 (in class)
Assignment 3 part 3 due on or before ~ 2/14 (Handout)
Assignment 4 due no later than 11:00 pm ~ 2/20 (online Mastering)
Exam 1 = 2/21
Text Chapters: 17, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 43,
Concept 2 Living Legacy
Schedule: 2-23, 2-28, 3-1, (no class on 3/6) 3-8, 3-13, 3-15, 3-27, 3-29, 3-31, 4-3, 4-5
Student Goals:
1) Diverse Offspring
2) Sexual and asexual reproduction
3) Genes (DNA/RNA)
4) Cell division (meiosis & mitosis)
5) Adaptation
6) Classification (levels of organization)
7) Organismal response
8) Life cycles of organisms (complete and incomplete metamorphosis)
9) Factors which affect growth
10) Specie interdependence
11) Physical characteristics/behaviors that meet basic needs
12) Fossil evidence for change over time
Assignment 5 due no later than 11:00 pm ~ 3/6 (online Mastering)
Assignment 6 parts 2.1, 2.2, 2.5 & 2.6 due ~ 3/13 (in class)
Assignment 6 parts 2.3, 2.4, 2.7 & 2.8 due on or before ~ 3/27 (Handout)
Assignment 7 due no later than 11:00 pm ~ 4/3 (online Mastering)
Exam 2 = 4/5
Text Chapters: 11, 10, 12, 13, 9, 14, 16, 15, 18, 44, 45
Concept 3 Human Systems
Schedule: 4-10, 4-12, 4-17, 4-19, 4-24, 4-26, 5-1, 5-3, 5-8, 5-10
Student Goals:
1) Systems
2) Body systems (including reproduction)
3) Human health (vitamins, foods, etc.)
4) Accuracy of product claims in advertising
5) CO2 and O2 cycling
6) Use of senses
Assignment 8 due no later than 11:00 pm ~ 4/19 (online Mastering)
Assignment 9 due no later than 11:00 pm ~ 5/3 (online Mastering)
Exam 3 = Final Exam = 5/10 (Thursday, 8:00-10:00 am)
Text Chapters: 31-42, 25
Student Goals NOT met in this course but that will be met in Environmental Science (BIOL 1132):
1) Alternative energy sources and biofuels
2) Physical characteristics of environment and how it supports populations and communities
3) Earth, space, weather
4) Biomes and microhabitats
5) Water cycle
6) Animal habitats
7) Migration, hibernation, dormancy
8) Rock cycle
9) Ecosystems
10) Food webs, chains, pyramids and energy flow
11) Conservation of resources
12) Construct graphs, maps, tables, charts, bar graphs and concept maps
13) Organismal adaptation to their environments
14) Air
Student Goals NOT met in this course but that will be met in Earth Science (GEOG 1710):
1) Shadows, tides, weather, and seasons
2) Earth and space
3) Formation of rocks
4) Fossil fuels
5) Solar system
6) Characteristics of soil
7) Volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.
Student Goals NOT met in this course but that will be met in Physics (PHYS 1210):
1) Force and motion
2) Forms and sources of energy
3) Magnetic Properties
4) Non standard units
5) Light, heat, sound
6) Conductors and insulators
7) Electricity
8) Matter, mass, physical states, density, and solubility
9) Time
Student Goals NOT met in this course but that will be met in Science Methods (EDEE 4330):
1) History of science, science careers, and contributions of scientists