Narrative Explaining how Required Courses and/or Experiences Fulfill
the Standards for Secondary Programs

Standard/Guideline

36 Semester Hour Major

50 Semester Hour
Comprehensive Group Major

Submit a narrative that explains how this program:

A.

uses the Michigan Curriculum Framework K-12 Science Content Standards and Benchmarks as the critical foundation for teacher preparation, ensuring that secondary integrated science teachers have the content knowledge and the ability to teach this curriculum; and

Curriculum is defined with the Science content standards in mind:  Life Sciences, Physical Science, and Earth/Space Science.  A balance of coursework in each science category is the framework  of this major.

The curriculum of the Chemistry Department includes Strands I, II and IV of the Michigan Curriculum Framework in both its lecture and lab courses because these strands are applicable to the teaching of chemistry.   In particular, laboratory work engages  prospective teachers in performing experiments in which they are challenged to construct new information and critically reflect on it  (Strands I and II).  All courses go far beyond the minimum requirements of utilizing Strand IV, as evidenced by the course descriptions presented in the EMU Undergraduate Catalog.  For example, in all courses leading to a secondary certificate,  all prospective chemistry are required to pass non-multiple choice  exams in which they must demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter by working  problems out in detail.  In addition, the EMU program is approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the premier organization of professional chemists.

B.

develops an understanding of the interconnectedness of all science, along with major unifying themes, and relates these understandings to the teaching of science; and

Major includes the same introductory courses as the Biology major, Chemistry major, Earth Science major, and astronomy minor.  It includes the same topics as the Physics major at an algebra-math level.  Such courses teach how basic theory in each science relates to the foundations of the other sciences as part of the normal course discussions. 

In Chemistry, unifying concepts and processes in science, as advanced in the “National Science Education Standards, are taught by each faculty member and understood and practiced by each teaching candidate who is tested on them in a way applicable to lecture and lab courses.

C.

prepares candidates to understand and teach biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science as integrated content.

As part of the teaching capstone, in completing BIOL 403 or PHY 325 or ESSC 347 (in addition to science content coursework), students would demonstrate such preparedness.

In the Chemistry Department, teaching candidates are exposed to a wide variety of science problems and examples that are truly interdisciplinary in scope.    

The preparation of secondary integrated science teachers will enable them to:

1.0

understand and develop the major concepts and principles of biology, chemistry, earth/space science, and physics, which may include such topics as the following:

1.1

Cellular Function, including

1.1.1

cell theory

B

Students taking BIOL 110  define the cell theory, explain cellular evolution and present the hypotheses for the acquisition of organelles.

1.1.2

cell types

B

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120  compare and contrast difference between pro- and eukaryotic cells and distinguish between all major cell types. 

1.1.3

cell structure and function

C

Students taking BIOL 110 explain the molecular basis of cell structures and their functions. 

1.1.4

protein synthesis

C

Students taking BIOL 110 describe the process of protein synthesis and relate the process to gene regulation, also how protein structure relates to protein function.

1.1.5

cell division (mitosis & meiosis)

C

Students taking BIOL 110 define the mechanism by which cells divide and analyze how mitosis and meiosis effect organism growth and development and homeostasis. 

1.2

Organization of Living Things, including

1.2.1

life cycles (including sexual and asexual reproduction)

C

Students taking BIOL 120 describe the life cycles of organisms from major representative groups (flowering and non-flowering plants, single-celled and multi-celled organisms, vertebrates and invertebrates).  Students compare and contrast sexual and asexual reproduction and describe growth and development during the different stages of various life cycles

1.2.2

living and non-living

C

Students taking BIOL 110 describe the basic needs of living organisms and apply criteria that are used to distinguish between life and nonliving matter. 

1.2.3

systems

C

Students taking BIOL 120 explain how selected systems and processes work together in plants and animals.

1.2.4

classification

C

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 explain the characteristics used by scientists to classify and name living organisms based on the fundamentals of the taxonomic hierarchies.

1.2.5

growth and development (embryology, etc.)

B

Students taking BIOL 110 compare and contrast food, energy, and environmental needs on the growth and development of selected organisms. 

1.2.6

photosynthesis

C

Students taking BIOL 110 describe the molecular mechanisms of how plants make and store their own food.  Students investigate the environmental factors necessary for photosynthesis in laboratory. 

1.2.7

cellular respiration

C

Students taking BIOL 110 explain how energy in food is converted to a useful form of energy through the process of cellular respiration. Students also investigate the molecular mechanisms of aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration and uses of biological energy production and conversion in BIOL 110 lab.

1.3

Concepts of Heredity, including

1.3.1

Mendelian genetics

C

Students taking BIOL 110 explain the processes of how traits are genetically passed from one generation to the next and describe the patterns and modes of inheritance that extend from Mendel’s postulates. 

1.3.2

traits passed from one generation to the next

C

Students taking BIOL 110 explain the processes of how traits are genetically passed from one generation to the next.

1.3.3

molecular genetics (structure of DNA)

C

Students in BIOL 110 describe DNA structure and replication, and gene structure and transcription. Students taking BIOL 403 isolate DNA from wheat germ, describe the structure and function of DNA and explain how mutations in DNA can produce genetic diseases.

1.3.4

modern genetics (electrophoresis, genetic engineering, DNA fingerprinting, etc.)

C

Students taking BIOL 110 describe basic molecular genetic techniques such as genetic engineering, cloning, and DNA fingerprinting.  Students conduct laboratory investigations in BIOL 110.

1.3.5

population genetics

B

Students in BIOL 110 learn how to use the Hardy-Weinberg equation, determine whether a population is in equilibrium, and how various factors affect allele frequency in a population. 

1.3.6

environmental effects on heredity

B

Students taking BIOL 110 explain how some traits are inherited and some are acquired. Living things adapt to survive in their environments.  Students describe how changes in an ecosystem might affect the process of natural selection/breeding.

1.4

Evolutionary Change, including

1.4.1

diversity/speciation

B

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 evaluate the importance of species diversity.  The process of speciation is not covered.

1.4.2

theory of evolution (adaptation, variation, and natural selection and relationships between species, including human)

C

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 explain how physical and behavioral characteristics of organisms help them to survive in their environment.  Students apply the theory of natural selection to a variety of situations (e.g. isolationism) and predict the success or failure of a population of organisms over time when exposed to changing environmental factors.

1.4.3

fossils/ancient life

B

In BIOL 110 students explain how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life and that some animals and plants that once lived on earth are now extinct. Students also describe how scientific theory traces possible evolutionary relationships about past and present forms.

ESSC 111: The Earth System Through Time introduces the difference between body fossils and trace fossils, the fundamental criteria for fossilization, how fossils are classified (range in Paleontology, ecological classification of fossils, and biological classification).  Both ESSC 110 and ESSC 111 introduce the relationship between relative dating using index fossils and the geological time scale.

1.4.4

extinction

B

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 identify recognized endangered species and describe the environmental and human factors influencing the decline in population. 

ESSC 110 and ESSC 111 introduce the geologic time scale, and the causes for great extinction’s.

1.5

Ecological Systems, including

1.5.1

community relationships, including predator/prey and symbiosis

C

Students taking BIOL 110 describe patterns of relationships among populations including predatory/prey, symbiosis and parasitism.

1.5.2

population

B

Students taking BIOL 110  & BIOL 324 predict the effects of changes in one population in a food web on other populations.  Students describe general factors regulating population size in an ecosystem.  Students describe the likely succession of a given ecosystem over time. 

1.5.3

transfer of energy (food chains/webs)

C

Students taking BIOL 110  & BIOL 324 identify familiar organisms as part of a food chain or food web and describe their feeding relationships within the web. Students explain how energy flows through a familiar ecosystem.  In BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 students design systems that encourage growth of plants and animals. 

1.5.4

biogeochemical cycles

C

Students in BIOL 110  & BIOL 324 describe how water, carbon, and soil nutrients cycle through selected ecosystems. Students describe responses of an ecosystem to events that cause it to change.

1.5.5

human impact

C

Students taking BIOL 110, BIOL 120 and BIOL 324 describe how humans use and benefit from plant and animal materials. Students describe ways in which human population growth alters the environment and explain the effects of agriculture and urban development on selected ecosystems.

1.6

Human Biology, including

1.6.1

anatomy and physiology

B

Students taking BIOL 110 define and describe the structures and the functions of the major systems of the human body and list diseases associated with these body systems.

1.6.2

disease and immunology

B

Students taking BIOL 110 & BIOL 120 explain causes of common diseases and describe the role of the immune system.

1.6.3

health habits

B

Students taking BIOL 110 describe the benefits and consequences of life style habits. 

1.6.4

resource management

C

Students taking BIOL 110  & BIOL 324 describe how humans use and benefit from plant and animal materials. Students describe ways in which humans alter the environment and explain the effects of agriculture and urban development on selected ecosystems.

1.6.5

human population growth and diversity

B

Students taking BIOL 110  & BIOL 324 describe general factors regulating population size (including human population) in an ecosystem

1.7

Earth/Space Science, including

1.7.1

lithosphere and historical geology

C

The following courses introduce the student to the lithosphere and historical geology: ESSC 110 The Dynamic Earth System; ESSC 111 The Earth System Through Time.

ESSC 110 and ESSC 111 introduce the relative and absolute dating, the geologic time scale, fossil formation, causes for great extinction’s, continental glaciation, the role of plate tectonics throughout earth history, ground-water quantification, and evidence for catastrophes to imperceptible processes that have shaped the earth and its environments.  They also introduce the definitions of minerals and rocks, the differences between genetic and descriptive classification schemes for these materials, and techniques employed to identify these materials.

1.7.2

hydrosphere

C

The following courses introduce the student to the hydrosphere: ESSC 110 The Dynamic Earth System; ESSC 111 The Earth System Through Time.  Concepts are introduced in ESSC 110 and expanded upon in ESSC 111 Topics include a chronological overview of the history of the planet, emphasizing key events in the evolution of the Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, and Biosphere, as well as the interrelationships between these events.  ESSC 110 also includes a description of the hydrological cycle, the amount of water in the hydrosphere, define streams (including discharge, velocity, capacity), describe glaciers, know the terms porosity and permeability and how this affects groundwater, Know the chemical composition of seawater, explain surface currents and how they are influenced by the Coriolis Effect and define spring and neap tides.

1.7.3

atmosphere, weather, climate

C

Weather concepts are introduced in ESSC 110 and expanded upon in ESSC 212 Weather, Climate and The Earth System.  Courses explain and forecast weather patterns, i.e., air masses, fronts, and severe weather systems.  Use of maps, instruments, radar, and satellite images are applied so as to understand daily weather patterns. The major patterns of atmospheric circulation are described and explained in these courses; such as prevailing winds of the earth, the jet stream, and other winds aloft; in addition to the understanding of the development and movement of air masses, such as continental polar, and maritime tropical.  Courses explain the various elements of long-term climatic change, including the histories of changing climates and global warming.  Students learn to interpret climatic data, like annual temperature and precipitation. 

1.7.4

astronomy

C

ASTR 205 students survey a wide range of astronomical principles from historic contributions of great scientists to the latest discoveries in our solar system.  Along the way they learn about the nature of eclipses, lunar cycles, and seasons, sequences of stellar evolution, and the frontiers of galactic and cosmological research.

ASTR 315, Observational Astronomy, gives students hands-on practical experience in the use of telescopes to identify and study lunar and solar features, planets, comets, asteroids, stars, binary and variable stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.  The latest techniques in astronomical imagining are also demonstrated. ASTR 205 Principles of Astronomy. Concepts are introduced in ESSC 110 and ASTR 205 and expanded upon, especially in terms of the Milankovich cycles, in ESSC 111 and ESSC 212.

1.8

Chemistry and Physics:

Major Concepts and Principles of Physics and Chemistry

1.8.1

Inorganic Chemistry, including

1.8.1.1

atomic/molecular structure and bonding

C

In CHEM 121/122-123/124, all teaching candidates will pass tests in these areas:

o        quantum theory.

o        electronic configurations of atoms and ions.

o        predict the number of valence electrons and valences of  main group elements

o