University of Southern California



UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

FALL 2007

EDUC 450: Curriculum and Methods in Secondary Education: Science

Monday 4:00 to 6:50 p.m.

SOS B47

Instructor: Luis Rodriguez Cazares

Office: WPH 1004

Telephone: (213) 740-3471

E-Mail: luisr@usc.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment

Catalogue Description:

Curriculum, instructional processes, learning environments, and the professional responsibilities of teachers for linking knowledge of subject fields, pedagogy, and insight about middle school and high school children. Concurrent enrollment: a: EDUC 551a. Prerequisite: EDUC 503.

Course Description:

This course is designed to prepare teachers and prospective teachers in the application of a balanced, integrated, interactive perspective to teaching in middle school and high school science. Focus of the course is on the foundational skills and strategies needed in instruction in urban secondary settings. This course addresses research-based knowledge and instructional practices aligned with the California Content Standards and Curriculum Blueprints for California Public Schools in Science. Literacy in the content area is of focus; differentiated instruction is primary. The course facilitates development of urban teacher leaders as change agents, the conceptual of the USC Rossier School of Education Teacher Education Programs

This course is designed to address several overlapping objectives and competencies (1) To meet CCTC guidelines including the CCTC Teacher Performance Expectations, and CCTC Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Professional Teacher Preparation Programs; (2) to ensure that credential candidates understand the California Curricular Framework and Blueprints for California Public Schools; and (3) to assist credential candidates in developing the knowledge base and skills needed for the Performance Assessment for California’s Teachers (PACT).

Course Objectives/Expected Outcomes

Referenced to the CCTC Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE’s)

TPE #1: Pedagogical skills in teaching science

TPE #2: Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction

TPE #3a: Interpretation and Use of Assessments: Classroom

TPE #3b: Interpretation and Use of Assessments: State Tests

TPE #4: Making Content Accessible

TPE #5: Student Engagement

TPE #6: Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices

TPE #7: Teaching English Learners

TPE #9: Instructional Planning

TPE #13: Professional Growth

Class members will be able to:

▪ Define major developmental, learning and curriculum theories, and their relationship to curriculum and pedagogical decisions for groups and individual students. [3(d), 7(A)(c), 11(b)] TPE 4, 5, 9

▪ Define the curricular elements that define each discipline (nomenclature, tools, skills, concepts, theories and generalizations, methodology, etc.). [4(e), 7(A)(d)] TPE 4

▪ Align district and/or state curriculum frameworks, standards, objectives, and materials to meet the diverse and developmental needs of the students within the class. [11(c)] TPE13

▪ Design new and modify existing curriculum to meet the diverse needs and abilities of students. Develop units of study, learning centers and redesign teacher's guides and other instructional materials. [7(A)(b), 12(c), 12(d), 13(b)] TPE 3, 5, 9, 11, 13

▪ Select and design appropriate assessment (formative/summative; formal and informal) techniques to determine the significance of outcomes from curriculum and pedagogical decisions and implementations. [5(e), 7(A)(e), 11(b), 12(d)] TPE 6, 8

▪ State the relationship between curriculum (process, content, product, affect) and instructional models of teaching and instructional strategies. [7(A)(a), 7(A)(c)iii, 11(c)] TPE 13

▪ Analyze basic classroom curriculum and instructional episodes from perspectives of a student, colleague, teacher, administrator, and parent. [4(a)] TPE 3, 9

▪ Recognize alternative philosophies, theories, and strategies to classroom management and their application to the context and student's needs. [4(e), 5(e)] TPE 4, 6, 8

▪ Perceive the self as a professional educator capable of making and defending decisions related to the cognitive and affective needs of students with diverse academic, cultural, social, linguistic, and economic needs. [4(c), 4(e), 12(f)] TPE 4, 5, 9, 13

Required Texts

ISBN: 0132304503

Title: Teaching Secondary School Science: Strategies For Developing Scientific Literacy (9th Edition)

Author: Rodger W. Bybee, Janet Carlson Powell, Leslie W. Trowbridge

Publisher: Prentice Hall

ISBN: 0618332774

Title: Literacy And Learning In The Content Areas: Strategies For Middle and Secondary School Teachers

Author: Karen Kuelthau Allan, Margery Staman Miller

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

ISBN: 0415952379

Title: Becoming A Teacher Through Action Research

Author: D. K. Phillips And K. Carr

Publisher: Routledge

California Department of Education. Curricular Frameworks /Content Standards and Blueprints (Science) CA Dept. of Education, Sacramento, CA. Available on line at cde.

Recommended Readings

ISBN: 0-309-06476-7

Title: Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A guide for Teaching and Learning

Authors: Steve Olson and Susan Loucks-Horsley

Publisher: National Academies Press

Title: California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP)

Publisher: CCTC, CDE

ISBN: 0-9709455-5-8

Title: Unwrapping the Standards

Author: Larry Ainsworth

Publisher: Advanced Learning Press

ISBN: 1-55798-891-9

Title: Mastering APA Style: Student's Workbook and Training Guide

Author: American Psychological Association

ISBN: 10-0201231573

Title: One Minute Readings: Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Author: Richard R. Brinckerhoff

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co

ISBN: 9780873552370

Title: Cats, Clones and Chemicals: Thinking Scientifically About Controversial Issues

Author: Irwin Slesnick

Publisher: Arlington, Va

Course Requirements Points Percentage Due Date

1. Neighborhood Study 10 5% Week 3 (9/10)

2. Literacy Strategy Lesson Presentation 10 5% Week 4 (9/17)

3. Text Set Analysis 30 15% Week 6 (10/1)

4. Action Research Project- Unit of Study 70 35% Week 12 (11/12)

5. Practice PACT with Tasks A-E 60 30% Week 16 (12/10)

6. Attendance & Participation 20 10% On-going

Assignments: All assignments will be further explained in class and you will be given a handout detailing major assignments. Late assignments will be graded down by ½ grade per day.

1. Neighborhood Study: During the first week (to 15 days) of class, students will explore the neighborhood in which they have their student teaching. Students will additionally review the school-based data for their school site. The goal of this assignment is to connect neighborhood resources to school based and neighborhood challenges (TPEs 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a).

2. Group Lesson Presentation: Literacy Strategy. You will be responsible for identifying and analyzing a literacy strategy from your literacy text, incorporating it in a 20-minute science lesson, and co-facilitating the lesson in your EDUC 450 class (TPEs 1,1a, 1b, 2, 4, 5, 6, 6c, 7, 13,).

3. Text Set Analysis: You will be responsible for critically analyzing one of the text books in the subject area in your student teaching classroom (TPEs 1, 4, 5, 9).

4. Action Research Project-Unit of Study: Our goal as instructors is to help you develop into an Urban Teacher Leader who will work as a change agent for students using curriculum as a means of change. You will be required to identify essential standards within the subject area and create an action research based unit of study focused on designing curriculum that facilitates change (TPEs 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a).

5. Practice Performance Assessment for California’s Teachers (PACT): (TPEs 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a). You will be required to complete a videotaped and commentaried standardized teaching event to prove teaching competence. In the fall semester, you will complete a practice PACT. Spring semester will include a final PACT assignment.

6. Attendance and Participation: Attendance and punctuality are expected at each session and will be part of your grade. Participation in discussions, reading response groups, and various class activities are essential to the design of the class. Students are required to attend all class sessions and must assume responsibility to notify the instructor if an absence cannot be avoided. Please contact me prior to your expected date of absence via e-mail.

Only one excused absence is allowed for this course. Twenty points will be subtracted for any additional absence thereafter. Students missing more than three unexcused classes may have their semester grade lowered one whole letter grade. In the case of excessive absences, the candidate is encouraged to withdraw from the class. “Incompletes” are discouraged and are given only within strict adherence to USC policy. Please honor all due dates. Only in extenuating circumstances will accommodations be made.

Grading

The following grading scale will apply:

A 100-95 B+ 89-86 C+ 79-76 D+ 69-66 F 59-0

A- 94-90 B 85-83 C- 75-73 D 65-63

B- 82-80 C- 72-70 D- 62-60

Disability Services and Programs (DSP)

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Behavior Violating University Standards and Appropriate Sanctions

The University’s Student Conduct Code articulates violations that are most common and readily identifiable. Conduct violating university community standards that is not specifically mentioned still may be subject to disciplinary action. General principles of academic honesty include and incorporate the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one's own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another's work as one's own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles.

Sanctions for violations of the university Student Conduct Code are assessed appropriately for the cited violation. Sanctions will be considered in light of students' entire conduct records at the university and will be designed to hold students accountable for their actions and the resulting or potential consequences of such actions, to promote the educational well-being of students and to protect the educational environment of the university and the safety of its community.

All academic integrity violations will result in an academic consequence. Failure to comply with the terms of any imposed sanctions may be considered an additional violation.

COURSE SCHEDULE, WEEKLY TOPICS, AND COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

| | | |Assigned Reading/Assignments: (due on day listed in |

|Week/Date |Course Content/Topics |Connections to the Student Teaching |this column) |

| | | |Selected readings will be added to readings per |

| | | |instructor focus |

|Week 1: August |Overview of the Course |No student teaching – Begin |Science Framework Ch. 1, 4, 5 |

|27 |The First Day/Week of School |neighborhood study- neighborhood |Allan and Miller Ch. 1 |

| |Principles of Teaching and Learning |/school community exploration (see |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 1, 22 |

| |Introduction to the Science Framework |Handout) - drive by your school site|Review Curricular Standards for your profile |

| |CA curriculum standards |and visit the school’s website |cde. |

| |Teacher identity development- Becoming an urban | | |

| |teacher leader as a change agent- teaching with a | |Begin Group Lesson Presentation: Literacy Strategy |

| |collegial focus. | |assignment. (Select and e-mail me your Literacy |

| | | |Strategy this week. You will co-facilitate the lesson|

| | | |with the partner you interviewed in class.) |

|Week 2 |Labor Day - | |Continue working on the Group Lesson Presentation |

|September 3 |No Class Meeting! | | |

|Week 3: September |The importance of literacy in the content areas |Observations in student teaching |Neighborhood Study Due |

|10 |Choosing essential standards (connections to EDUC 503 |begins- take note of the master | |

| |and 511) Anderson and Krathwohl |teacher’s class structure, classroom|Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch.10, 13 |

| |Lesson Plan Structure #1- Review Diagnostic Teaching |community |Phillips and Carr Ch. 1 |

| |Cycle | |Selected handouts- Anderson and Krathwohl |

| |The relationship between thinking and reading |First Reflection- Neighborhood | |

| |Lesson Plan Structure #2- Learning Cycle (5 phases) |study- strengths and challenges |Begin Text Set Analysis |

|Week 4: September |The teacher as research- Action research and the |First week of student teaching- |Group Lesson Presentations Due |

|17 |teacher leader as change agent- Teachers communities, |diagnostic teaching small group | |

| |communities of practice. |literacy instruction begins. |Allan and Miller Ch. 9 |

| |Lesson Plan Structure #3- Inquiry based instruction |Reflection #2: What does it mean to |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 3 |

| | |be a change agent? |Phillips and Carr Ch. 2-3 |

| | |Minimum one lesson this week |Selected handouts/articles |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | |Continue Text Set Analysis |

|Week 5: |Assessment and its link to instructional practices: |Collect assessments examples that |Allan and Miller Ch. 3, 6 |

|September 24 |Lesson planning tied to assessment of student |your master teacher uses. |Selected handouts/articles |

| |instructional need |Reflection #3: Role of assessment in| |

| |Assessing student project in subject areas |instructional practices |Begin Action research Project-Unit of Study |

| |Creating Powerful Pedagogy in The Classroom | | |

| |Critical Literacy Theory- Literature Circles |Minimum 1 lesson daily |Continue Text Set Analysis |

| |Lesson Plan Structure # 4- DRTA | | |

|Week 6: October |Creating a classroom community and its link to |Observe a learner with challenges in|Text Set Analysis Due |

|1 |classroom management- revisiting Essential Standards |your classroom- what accommodations | |

| |Science Classroom Safety |does the master teacher make for |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 21 |

| |Classroom Management and Conflict Resolution |individual learner needs. |Selected handouts/articles |

| |Content Learning, collaboration and its link to |Reflection #4: Building a classroom | |

| |literacy |community |Continue Review of Curricular Standards for your |

| |Teachers as colleagues (continued) | |profile cde. |

| | |Minimum 1 lesson daily |Continue Action Research Project-Unit of study |

|Week 7: October |Reading instruction in diverse instructional contexts:|Review what planning efforts your |Allan and Miller Ch. 7 |

|8 |Reading Comprehension in Content Areas |master teacher has. |Selected handouts/articles |

| |Lesson Plan Structure # 5 & #6 - Guided Reading/Shared|Reflection #5: How does he/she plan | |

| |Reading |for the academic year? | |

| | |Minimum 2 lessons daily |Continue Action Research Project-Unit of Study |

|Week 8: October |Evaluating Instructional materials |Collect Writing Samples for next |Science Framework Ch. 9 |

|15 |Reading instruction in diverse instructional contexts:|week’s in class assignment |Allan and Miller Ch. 5, 7-8 |

| |Vocabulary Learning in Content Areas |Reflection # 6: Accommodating | |

| | |diverse learners | |

| | |Minimum 2 lessons daily |Continue Action Research-Unit of Study Project |

|Week 9: October |Writing Across the Curriculum |Minimum 2 lessons daily |Allan and Miller Ch. 5, 7-8 |

|22 |Writers Workshop |Reflection #7: free response |Phillips and Carr Ch. 4-5 |

| |Performance Assessment of California’s Teachers- | | |

| |Evidence based instruction | | |

|Week 10 |From lessons and learning events to instructional |Continue Action research Project- |Allan and Miller Ch. 2, 10-12 |

|October |units. Accommodating diverse learners (ELLs, gifted, |Unit of Study |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 15 |

|29 |learning disabilities) |Reflection #8: Writing across the |Phillips and Carr Ch. 5-6 |

| | |curriculum |Selected handouts, articles |

| | |Minimum 2-3 lessons daily- begin | |

| | |prep for all day teaching |Continue Action research Project- Unit of Study |

|Week 11 |Response to intervention (pre-referral intervention to|Reflection #9: Learners with |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 19, 20 |

|November 5 |special education) Purposes and Practices- Supporting |Challenges and Strengths- last |Selected Handouts/articles |

| |learners with diverse needs. |reflection | |

| |Adapting and accommodating learners in general | | |

| |education- planning lessons that facilitate this. |Minimum 2-3 lessons daily- prep for |Continue Action Research-Unit of Study Project |

| | |all day teaching | |

|Week 12 |Differentiated Instruction- Accommodating and |Begin taping and planning practice |Action Research-Unit of Study Project Due |

|November 12 |enriching students learning opportunities |PACT | |

| |Poster Session- Action Research Project | |Selected Handouts/articles |

|Week 13 |Assessment revisited-critical analysis |Possible all day teaching- taping |Allan and Miller Ch. 8 |

|November 19 |Analyzing content area texts for biases, author’s |and planning practice PACT |Bybee, Powell, and Trowbridge Ch. 9 |

| |stance and critical perspectives | |Selected handouts, articles |

| | | | |

| | | |Continue Practice PACT |

|Week 14 |Powerful instructional processes in diverse settings |Possible all day teaching- taping |Selected Handouts/articles |

|November 26 |Q and A- PACT |and planning practice PACT | |

| | | |Continue Practice PACT |

|Week 15 |Developing lifelong readers and writers inside and |Possible all day teaching- tighten |Selected Handouts/articles |

|December3 |outside of the classroom |up Practice PACT | |

| |Small group review of Practice PACT | | |

| | | | |

| | | |Continue Practice PACT |

|Week 16 |Home school connections- Putting it all together |Make up and semester’s end student |Practice PACT Due |

|December 10 | |teaching | |

| | |Practice PACT is Due |Selected Handouts/articles |

Please Note: The class schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any updates will be communicated to you in class or via e-mail.

Email

Students will be submitting the majority of the assignments electronically. The instructor will also be using electronic mail to send you assignments, feedback, as well as other important documents and information. Therefore, it is a requirement for this course that you have access to and are able to use basic e-mail features. Knowledge and application of sending, receiving, and attaching documents to e-mail is assumed for all students in this course. If you are not familiar with these e-mail functions, please see me as soon as possible. You will receive instructions for sending your work electronically to my e-mail and/or drop box.

Please note: It is your responsibility to maintain complete copies of all assignments submitted electronically until your final grade is posted at the end of the semester.

Other Helpful Resources and Publications

California Department of Education (CDE)



California Science Teachers Association ((CST)



California Federation of Teachers (CFT)



Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) Search



Laboratory Safety



National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA)



Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)



Underwriters Laboratory Inc. (UL)



US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)



U.S. Department of Labor

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)



US Department of Education



Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)



National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)



The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ACSD)



University of California Office of the President (UCOP)



California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC)



California Teacher's Association (CTA)



National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)



The Merrow Report



The Educator’s Reference Desk-Science Lesson Plans



WestEd



Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)



Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE-West)



Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)



National Association of Special Education Teachers



National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Five Core Propositions



American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)



California Department of Education Fact Book



The National Academies

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine



Los Angeles County Office of Education

lacoe.edu/

APA Formatting and Style Guide - The OWL at Purdue



APA Official Site: How to Cite Information From the Internet and the World Wide Web



The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Institute



Creating Conditions for Learning: COMP - Classroom Organization Management Program



Publications

Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs)



Teacher Performance Assessment -CalTPA Model Tasks



Standards for Science Teacher Preparation



Science Program Improvement Review



California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP)



California Academic Science Content Standards



Science Framework for California Public Schools



California Science Safety Standards



Inquiry and the National Education Standards

A Guide for Teaching and Learning



National Science Education Standards



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