by Bill Straits.
This past spring semester, nine of us rode a rollercoaster called, Life Science Applications K-8 (SCED 500) - and, boy, was it a wild ride! But just like a real rollercoaster - (after almost peeing my pants the whole time) as soon as it was over I started yelling, "Let's do it again, let's do it again!" And looking back, I suppose the most… um, invigorating part of the course was our term paper assignment.
It was my first attempt at teaching this or any course in the master's program here at CSULB. In approaching this course I decided to address three types of knowledge – science content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and emancipatory knowledge. I suppose the first two of these are fairly familiar to most folks, science content knowledge being the facts and know-how involved in doing science and pedagogical content knowledge being the ability to communicate those facts and know-how to others. However, in my mind emancipatory knowledge is most important; it is what separates a graduate course from a teacher in-service. Emancipatory knowledge both comes from and allows greater self-determination and self-reflection. Emancipatory knowledge is meaningful personal growth; it is coming to know the value and strength of ones own knowledge. It is Empowerment.
In lots of ways this idea of empowerment is what our program is all about. It's why we push graduate students to become more involved in local, state, and national science education organizations, to share their expertise in a professional presentation, and to engage in scholarly writing. It was with this in mind, that graduate students in SCED 500, in lieu of traditional term papers, wrote manuscripts for the NSTA publications, Science and Children and Science Scope. Admittedly, the bar was set high. But SCED 500 students rose to the challenge and produced some amazing work. The authors are listed below along with the titles and brief abstracts of their papers. If you just can't wait to see our work in print, let us know and maybe we'll send you an advance copy.
by Jennifer Halls
Are sharks really man-eaters? What misconceptions keep us from exploring these magnificent creatures in further detail? Learn how you can incorporate shark facts into your elementary classrooms through life science.
Paper to be submitted to Science and Children.
by Terrence Hegamin
This activity hopes to bring urban students to a closer awareness of their environment especially the naturally occurring plants growing in their neighborhoods.
Paper to be submitted to Science and Children.
by Pam Jones
Every living thing is part of the carbon cycle. The earth can handle CO2 but when there is an over abundance of CO2 because of our use of fossil fuels, it can be detrimental. This paper will review the carbon cycle for children and take them through some activities to make them more aware of out impact (footprint) on the world.
Paper submitted to Science and Children.
by Britt Legaspi
The criteria students develop, intuitively, for living and non-living things can be quite different from those set forth by science. This is a series of lessons to develop primary grade students' conceptual understanding of living and non-living.
Paper submitted to Science and Children.
by John Nhan
Adaptations are special behaviors or parts that help living things survive as they adapt to their environment. Living things use these adaptations to help them get food. This paper will compare and contrast how bird beaks and feet help them get food in their environment.
Paper to be submitted to Science and Children.
by Bill Straits
Our bodies can bend, or twist, or spin where two or more bones meet – it's the shape of these joints that determines how we are able to move. This paper describes an integrated, hands-on, and kinesthetic lesson for exploring the different kinds of moveable joints in our bodies.
Paper to be submitted to Science and Children.
by Nancy Ton
This article explores the physics behind animal aerial locomotion including such as falling, parachuting, and gliding. The activities in this article help students understand these types of aerial locomotion as they explore different physics concepts and how those concepts play an important role in animal adaptations.
Paper to be submitted to Science Scope.
by James Upshaw
This paper uses pink-eye – an infection that most adolescents are familiar with, and many have first hand knowledge of – to engage students in explorations of disease transmission, infection, and the human immune system.
Paper to be submitted to Science Scope.
by Marissa Whitmore
Middle school students will research specific genetic disorders to better understand gene mutations, genetic variation, and passing of traits from parents to offspring. This is done through the creation of a brochure on a genetic disorder. This is a fun and interesting way of tying together research, writing, and assessment.
Paper submitted to Science Scope.
