Activity 4: Exploration of Science Education Standards

CHEM 105 not only provides an opportunity for students to learn more about chemistry and science, but it also offers an opportunity for future educators, parents and members of society to understand the expectations society has created for science education standards. In the last four activities (5-8) we will explore science concepts and also relate these to the science standards we will first explore in Activity 4.

For this activity please refer to the Wisconsin Science Standards at this website:

http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards/sciintro.html

At this site you will find Standards A- H for grades 4, 8 and 12.  Since most of the students in this class are future early childhood educators, I would like for you to focus on the Grade 4 Standards.  If you would like, feel free to address the other grade levels if you would like! 

To complete Activity 4, choose a sub-standard under each of the Standards A thru H and describe something that you have done either in this class or outside of this class, perhaps in previous classes, that indicates that you have met the sub-standard. Each of these descriptions should be at least a paragraph long.

Here is a link to the sub-standards for Standard A:

http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards/scia4.html 

·      A.4.1 When conducting science investigations, ask and answer questions that will help decide the general areas of science being addressed.

I have fulfilled this sub-standard many times in classes such as this one and other subjects.  Through careful questioning and observation before and during experiments I can carefully make hypotheses to help determine what science areas I am looking at.

·      B.4.1 Use encyclopedias, source books, texts, computers, teachers, parents, other adults, journals, popular press, and various other sources, to help answer science-related questions and plan investigations.

In my education I have used this sub-standard many times.  I have used many scholarly articles, books, and websites to research, write, and learn about new and information related to science and other academic fields.

·      C.4.6 Communicate the results of their investigations in ways their audiences will understand by using charts, graphs, drawings, written descriptions, and various other means, to display their answers.

As an Art Education major, I use many visual communication devices such as graphs, drawings, and written descriptions to show my work and knowledge of a certain topic.  Using these types of visual communicators I can demonstrate what I may help to display my answers.

·      D.4.1 Understand that objects are made of more than one substance, by observing, describing and measuring the properties of earth materials, including properties of size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances.

Also in the art field I observe this sub-standard very often.  I recognize and observe paints and other forms of media and how they react with other substances.  For example, mixing colors together to form a new color of paint.

·      E.4.1 Investigate that earth materials are composed of rocks and soils and correctly use the vocabulary for rocks, minerals, and soils during these investigations.

In my previous Biology class we discussed and worked with different types of material solids that were creating a deposit in the local water source.  We discussed possible causes and used our data calculated to determine what types of solids were being deposited.

·      F.4.1 Discover* how each organism meets its basic needs for water, nutrients, protection, and energy* in order to survive.

I also discovered how organisms in the water were reacting and developing in accordance with their environment.  I observed growth, and how they used energy from nutrients to survive.

·      G.4.2 Discover* what changes in technology have occurred in a career chosen by a parent, grandparent, or an adult friend over a long period of time.

I have noticed in my art education classes how technology is changing the way we teach our classes.  Art used to be all hands on and physically in front of the students, but now there is a lot of art mediums moving onto computers in a more visual rather than physical form.  My mother is also a teacher and she has had the changes such as SMART Boards, Laptops, and iPads introduced into her classroom.

·      H.4.3 Show* how science has contributed to meeting personal needs, including hygiene, nutrition, exercise, safety, and health care.

I have found that in past food classes that science has greatly contributed to our food industry.  One such example is the crossbreeding of pants to create more yields in crop growth such as corn, oats, and other grains. These are all helping to negate world hunger.  In my food class we learned about how more food can be produced this way.

Also for this activity, you are to explore the Next Generation Science Standards.  These are new standards that are being proposed at the federal level that many states, including Wisconsin, are now in the process of developing adoption plans.

http://www.nextgenscience.org/

As you explore this site, and perhaps others that are related, answer the following three questions.

1.    What do you see are big changes compared to the previous standards?

·      One of the biggest changes I noticed in the new standards is the focus on student understanding and comprehension rather than just focusing on curriculum and testing.  Another big change is the focus on integration from one class subject to others.  It is not just based on science, but integrating into mathematics and Language Arts classes as well.  Continuing on from one year to the next comprehensibly is another huge part of the new standards that will allow for better education of the sciences.

2.    How are these standards connected to the other disciplines such as math and literacy?

·      The new standards are aligned with Mathematics and Literacy by connecting them and making them more cohesive in the classroom.

3.    What do you see will be challenges for teachers when considering some of the changes in the proposed science standards?

·      One change that I find will be difficult to overcome as a future Art Education teacher is the process of integrating the science curriculum into my own curriculum.  There are many integrated curriculum projects I can teach, it is simply the time issue that will determine how much of the integration I can bring into my classroom.