Science 210 -Introduction to Science for Elementary Teachers

This is the first science course in a sequence intended for pre-service elementary and middle school education majors.  The course will introduce students interested in teaching to a broad overview of both science instruction and the process of science. Students will investigate, discuss and design experiments using the group inquiry method of instruction  Students will use inquiry-based learning.  This class transfers to the University of Michigan-Dearborn as EXPS 220.

The co-requisites for this class are English 131 Composition and Math 110 Intermediate Algebra, both with a grade of C or better.

Instructor: 

Office

S-104e

Phone

313-845-9728

Email 

jkelly@hfcc.edu
jkelly@henryford.ucompass.com

Office hours

M & W 9:10-11:00 am, 1:10-2:00 pm, 3:30-4:00 pm
 T & R  10:10 -11:00 am , 3:30 pm- 4:00pm

Web Server Addresses:

Mrs. Kelly's web page

http://sciweb.hfcc.net/Kelly/Index.htm
This is my website on the Science Division web server.  This is where I will post basic course information and items of a visual nature.  This site IS NOT password protected.

UCompass Server

http://henryford.ucompass.com
This web site is the main web site for this course.  This is where you will receive email messages from me.  Be sure to visit it as least twice a week. This site IS password protected.

Pre-ed program at HFCC

http://adm.hfcc.net/~dzopf

UM-D, School of Education

http://www.soe.umd.umich.edu

Measurable Objectives

A. Major Core Course Objectives

 After completing this course students should be able to:

1. Design and conduct basic scientific investigations. *
2. Develop solutions to problems through observation, reasoning and investigations. *
3. Manipulate simple scientific instruments that aid in observation and data collection.
4. Use simple metric measurement devices to obtain data for use in scientific investigations.
5. Develop science process skills for information gathering & problem solving: observing, inferring, questioning, hypothesizing, researching, classifying & identifying variables, designing, measuring, graphing & charting, and  communicating. *
6. Construct charts, graphs and reports from classroom generated data.
7. Use multimedia sources of information in support of experimental investigations.
8. Gather and synthesize scientific information from reference books and other sources of technical information.
9. Write and or follow procedures in the form of step-by-step instructions, formulas, flow diagrams, and sketches.
10. Discuss topics in groups by making clear presentations, restating or summarizing what others have said and asking for clarification or elaboration.
11. Develop an awareness of the need for scientific evidence when interpreting data.
12. Generate questions about the physical and living world based on observation.
13. Generate answers to questions that can be investigated empirically. *
14. Prepare a science education portfolio.

* critical thinking assessment

Class Schedule

Monday & Wednesday  11:10 am - 1:00 pm Room S-114  Section 1

There is no substitute for the classroom experience. All students are expected to be present at the start of class. Handouts will be made available throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to obtain copies of this material and retain it in an organized fashion for future reference. It is expected that you will read the appropriate material, as indicated on the course calendar, prior to class. This will help you to understand and apply the complex concepts and principles that will be covered in class.

Text

Introductory Science Skills.  2nd edition.  1993.  Dorothy L. Gable Purchase required. 

Conduct

¨ Cheating in any form is unfair and will be dealt with.  Refer to the student handbook for details.  All work in this course is to be original. Copying is stealing and is a form of cheating. Please review the HFCC Policy on Academic Dishonesty on my website

¨ Any act of academic dishonesty, however small in the eyes of a student, will result in expulsion from the course.  Plagiarism will result in failure for the course and a report of academic dishonesty attached to the student's transcript.  This will  be the case even if the plagiarism is unintentional and made out of ignorance.  You will fail the course if you plagiarize.  Please see me if you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism.

¨ Tape recorders are not permitted in class without the consent of the instructor.

¨ The wearing of headphones is not permitted at any time.

¨ Under no circumstances is talking on cell phones or text messaging allowed in class.  Be considerate of other students and turn off beepers and cell phones before the start of class. Do not leave class to make phone calls.  The instructor reserves the right to deduct points for cell phone use.

¨ Cell phones are not allowed to be used as calculators.  It will be necessary to purchase a simple calculator.

¨ State law forbids handguns on campus.

Assignments

¨ The instructors reserves the right to alter the sequence of lectures, labs and exams as circumstances dictate. The number of points per assignment may vary.

¨ Readings in addition to the text chapters will be assigned as appropriate. 

¨ Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due at the beginning of the class period and in-class activities are due before you leave class. Points will be deducted for assignments handed in after the due date. NO assignments will be accepted later than 7 calendar days after the due date.

¨If you miss class and therefore do not hand in an assignment on time, that assignment will be graded as late

¨Assignments may be turned in up to two days before the due date for a non-final evaluation. Most class activities, because of their nature, cannot be made up. 

¨ Handouts will only be available the day of the class. If class is missed, it is your responsibility to get copies of the handouts from other class members.

¨ Participation in class activities will count towards the in-class component of the course grade. It is important that you arrive on time and stay for the entire class period to fully participate in the day's activities and discussions. If you miss class for any reason, you will lose participation points.

¨ Quizzes, when given, are at the beginning of class. Students who arrive late may not take the quiz later.  Quizzes cannot be made up for any reason.

¨Each days participation is worth 5 points.  To earn these points you must sign in as soon as you enter the classroom on the sign-in sheet.  Your signature must be in your own handwriting and no one else is allowed to sign your name.  If you forget to sign in you will have forfeited the 5 points permanently.  It is your responsibility to sign in.  It is not the teacher's responsibility to remind students.

¨ The instructor reserves the right to deduct points for tardiness and leaving early.  Class starts on time and lasts the entire two-hour period.  You are not allowed to register for another class whose meeting times overlap with this class.  If you work, it is your responsibility to arrange your work hours so that they do not overlap the class or make you late to class.  If you must take or pick-up children from school it is your responsibility to make arrangements so that you can be on time for class and stay the entire class period.

¨ If an emergency arises, it is your responsibility to miss as little of class as possible.

¨ All students must complete the Science Experiment (Experimental Design).  Failure to do so will result in a grade of E for the class.

Examinations

¨ The exams will have objective, short answer and essay questions. 

¨ Exams may be made up ONLY if the student provides an official WRITTEN excuse for the absence. If a problem comes up on the day of the exam, call the phone numbers given on the first page and leave a message on the voice mail BEFORE THE START of the exam.

¨ If allowed, the make-up exam will be essay and will be given on the Friday before the end of classes.   It is your responsibility to remind the instructors two weeks prior to this date about taking the make-up.  Only one exam may be made up.

¨ The final exam schedule for HFCC may be found at http://hfcc.edu/current_students/final_exams.asp

Grading:

Participation                                  130 points

Three exams and a final                 400 points

Science Education Portfolio

#1 Autobiography- original            12 points

#2 Science Experiment              100  points

Oral presentation of Experiment       25  points

Out of class work  (homework)         20  points (approximately)

Total                                            874 points  (approximately)

Required materials

3-ring binder, 1.5 inches thick, for class notebook
3-ring binder 0.5 inches thick, for science project notebook
30 Insertable dividers for 3-ring class notebook
set of colored pencils
#2 pencil with eraser
100 MB Zip Disk or 128 MB Jump drive (also called an USB drive)
Simple calculator.  TI-83 or higher are not allowed during exams.
Trifold display board, 36" tall and 48" wide

Students are responsible for purchasing all materials needed for their  home science experiment.  Based on previous semesters you may expect to spend as much as $30.00. 

Schedule adjustments

Membership in a class does not cease until a student officially withdraws either in person in the Registrar’s Office or by using the touch tone registration system. A grade of DR (drop) is recorded on a student’s transcript whenever a class is officially dropped before the end of the TENTH week of the semester. If a student stops attending a class without officially withdrawing, or notifying the instructor in writing, a grade of  E  will be recorded. Refer to the current college catalog for specific details.

Assisted Learning Services

The college has an Assisted Learning program to facilitate equal opportunity for students with disabilities. Services may include free tutoring, taped textbooks and readers for the legally blind and reading impaired, and administration of exams to students who are unable to take them with their regular class. To qualify for these services please contact the Assisted Learning office personally. The office is located in the Learning Resource Center and the phone number is 845-9617. Would any student using these services please identify themselves to the instructors at their earliest possible convenience so that I may be of assistance.

Internet access on campus.

Students may use the computers in the Media Lab on the second floor of the Library. To use the computers, you need three things: your login ID, your password, and a HFCC Library card. Obtain your login ID from https://my.hfcc.edu/webadvisor/   A free HFCC Library card may be obtained in person at the Circulation Desk in the Library. 

UCompass

Email

As a student at HFCC you automatically are assigned a HFCC email account.  Refer to the Computer Resources Home Page
 https://dvc.hfcc.net/helpdesk/cat_academic_computer_labs.htm  for information on your username and password. In this course I will send out emails using UCompass.

To find your exact login, select the I'm New to WebAdvisor or What's My User ID? link from the WebAdvisor menu. In order to find your login name, you will need to provide your last name and either your Social Security Number or HANK ID for identification. If you were recently added to the system and WebAdvisor cannot find your login name, please be patient. Your login should be available within 24 hours.

You may have noticed that your WebAdvisor login is the same as your network login. That's not quite true. WebAdvisor logins are generated automatically, and all other logins are created from this one.

If your birth date was not in the system when your login was created, your initial password was randomly generated. If your email address is in the system, then you can use the Reset My Password feature to generate a new password, which will be emailed to your registered address. If your email address is not in the system, or you do not receive an email within ten to fifteen minutes after changing your password, call 313.845.6403 or email myhfcc@hfcc.edu for assistance.

Note: Your initial password is also your PIN for TREG and your default password for all other systems, including the Novell network. If your initial password was not your birth date, please contact 313.845.6403 for assistance with TREG. You will also need to submit a Trouble Ticket to DVC to fix your network password.