SCI2612: Using Observable Phenomena to Make Sense of the Earth, Moon and Sun
Course Syllabus

Catalog Description

In this six-week course, participants will learn how to use scientific inquiry to foster exploration and understanding of the movements of the earth, moon and sun. This course is written from an inquiry standpoint; therefore, participants will work to construct their own knowledge about natural phenomena (through the use of shadow trackers and moon journals) as they learn how to integrate inquiry strategies into classroom instruction. Specific content knowledge, such as learning the reason for day/night cycles, phases of the moon, and the reasons for seasons, are integrated into this course. Participants will learn how to facilitate inquiry-based learning in their classroom, from thinking about why inquiry is important to posing questions that promote discovery. Content-rich articles, video clips, and online resources will form the background of the course; and asynchronous discussion boards will promote participant interaction, communication, and learning. Participants will be expected to complete and submit a Final Product by the end of the course.

Goals

This course will enable participants to:

· become familiar with their state standards for teaching about day/night cycles, the moon and observable phenomena.

· identify pedagogical tools (pictures, Know-Learning-Evidence-Wonder [KLEW] charts) they can use in the classroom to promote inquiry-based learning.

· consider how young students make sense of the world around them and how the inquiry process can help develop new scientific understandings.

· learn what scientific inquiry is, how it is different from pure exploration and why it is important to build an inquiry-based science classroom.

· use shadow data to understand changes in the apparent path of the sun and learn how changes in shadows throughout the day can reveal information about the location and path of the sun.

· consider the importance of questioning in inquiry-based science and learn to design questions that focus on specific learning goals.

· consider the importance of using precise language during scientific inquiry.

· understand how the rotation of the earth on its axis affects shadows

· learn to create moon journals, to use journal entries to identify patterns in the moon’s shape, appearance, and position, and to use science journals in their classrooms

· understand and make predictions about earth, moon and sun phenomena, including movement and shapes of shadows, rotation and tilt of earth and moon on their axes, apparent path of the sun, reasons for eclipses and seasons

· learn strategies to manage an inquiry-based unit

· use physical models to explore the moon’s revolution around the earth and the moon’s rotation on its axis.

· gain strategies for using assessment in inquiry-based classrooms.

· use data and models to explore the reasons for seasons, specifically as it relates to the tilt of the earth’s axis relative to its orbital plane.

· explore strategies to develop an inquiry-based approach to explore any observable phenomena (including moon phases, day/night cycles, or the reasons for seasons) and to incorporate its use in their teaching.