Professional Development Course Requirements)

• the science and/or mathematics content must be one of the identified areas of critical need;
• inquiry-based pedagogy must form the basis of the instruction;
• content must be aligned with both the TEKS and Project CLEAR; and
• a minimum of 30 contact hours.

Using the Needs Assessment results and the student achievement results, the following offerings for middle school science teachers are prioritized as follows:

6^th Grade Teachers - Earth and Space Science

7^th Grade Teachers - Physical Science – Physics and Chemistry

8^th Grade Teachers - Life Science

For all of the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade teacher offerings, the following scientific process skills should be included:

Critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.

These include:

Scientific processes: The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions: The student is expected to:

1. analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information
2. draw inferences based on data related to promotional materials for products and services
3. represent the natural world using models and identify their limitations
4. evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society and the environment
5. connect science concepts with the history of science and contributions of scientists

Scientific processes. The student knows that relationships exist between science and technology. The student is expected to:

1. identify a design problem and propose a solution
2. design and test a model to solve the problem
3. evaluate the model and make recommendations for improving the model

Science concept: The student knows components of our solar system: The student is expected to:

(A) identify characteristics of objects in our solar system including the sun, planets, meteorites, comets, asteroids, and moons

(B) describe types of equipment and transportation needed for space travel

Science concept. The student knows the structures and functions of Earth systems. The student is expected to:

1. summarize the rock cycle
2. identify relationships between groundwater and surface water in a watershed

(C) describe components of the atmosphere, including oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor and identify the role of atmospheric movement in weather change.

To the maximum extent possible and where appropriate, course offering should include experiences that prepare teachers to help students acquire knowledge, skills and experiences that will help students to:

• Analyze a graph about atmospheric conditions
• Evaluate the design of an experiment about Earth processes
• Read a chart about stars
• Read a weather map
• Apply an understanding of precipitation
• Deduce the relative motion of objects in the sky
• Interpret a graph about forces
• Use observations to make a prediction of time
• Apply an understanding of celestial events
• Identify sources of energy on Earth
• Understand causes and effects of weather phenomena
• Use observations to determine the source Earth

Science concept. The student knows that there is a relationship between force and motion. The student is expected to:

1. demonstrate basic relationship between force and motion, using simple machines including pulleys and levers;
2. demonstrate that an object will remain at rest or move at a constant speed and in a straight line if it is not being subjected to an unbalanced force
3. Relate forces to basic processes in living organisms including the flow of blood and the emergence of seedlings.

Science concepts. The student knows that substance have physical and chemical properties. The student is expected to:

1. identify and demonstrate everyday examples of chemical phenomena such as rusting and tarnishing of metals and burning of wood
2. describe physical properties of elements and identify how they are used to position an element on the periodic table,
3. recognize that compounds are composed of elements

Science concepts. The student knows that complex interactions occur between matter and energy. The student is expected to:

1. illustrate examples of potential and kinetic energy in everyday life such as objects at rest, movement of geologic faults and falling water.
2. Identify that radiant energy from the sun is transfered into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis.

Course offerings, where appropriate and to the maximum extent possible, should include experiences that prepare teachers to help students acquire knowledge, skills and experiences to:

• Read a graph about motion
• Evaluate graphs of experimental data
• Apply an understanding of motion in molecules
• Draw a conclusion from data
• Analyze a chart about the physical properties of matter
• Apply an understanding of energy changes
• Associate cause and effect of light transmission
• Sequence the steps in a safety procedure
• Sequence changes in energy
• Relate causes and effects of physical changes
• Associate a situation with an energy concept
• Make a prediction about light transmission

Content for 8^th grade teacher offerings includes objective 1 or objective 2.

Understanding concepts:

Objective 1

The student will demonstrate an understanding of interdependency among living systems and the mechanisms of genetic change.

Scientific concepts. The student knows that interdependence occurs among living systems.

The student is expected to:

1. describe interactions among systems in the human organism
2. identify feedback mechanisms that maintain equilibrium of systems, such as body temperature, turgor pressure, and chemical reactions
3. describe interactions within ecosystems

Scientific concepts. The student knows that traits of species can change through generations and that the instructions for traits are contained in the genetic material of the organisms. The student is expected to:

1. identify that change in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individuals and of species
2. distinguish between inherited traits and other characteristics that result from interactions with the environment
3. make predictions about possible outcomes of various genetic combinations of inherited characteristics

To the maximum extent possible and where appropriate, course offering should include experiences that prepare teachers to help students acquire knowledge, skills and experiences that will help students to:

• Analyze a chart of nutritional information
• Analyze a graph about sound
• Associate body cells with their component parts
• Read a nutrition chart
• Sequence a food chain
• Use comparisons to estimate the size of an organism’s growth
• Use observations to classify organisms
• Determine the relationship between organisms
• Evaluate the relationship between organisms and environments
• Group organs by function
• Make a prediction from data about seeds
• Relate causes and effects of photosynthesis in ecosystems
• Use observations to sequence growth patterns

Objective 2

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the cycles that exist in Earth systems and how those systems are affected by natural events and human activities.

Science concepts. The student knows that cycles exist in Earth systems. The student is expected to:

1. analyze and predict the sequence of events in the lunar and rock cycles
2. relate the role of oceans to climatic changes
3. predict the results of modifying the Earth’s nitrogen, water, and carbon cycles

Science concepts. The student knows that natural events and human activities can alter Earth systems. The student is expected to:

1. predict land features resulting from gradual changes, such as mountain building, beach erosion, land subsidence and continental drift
2. analyze how natural or human events may have contributed to the extinction of some species
3. describe how human activities have modified soil, water and air quality

Course offerings, where appropriate and to the maximum extent possible, should include experiences that prepare teachers to help students acquire knowledge, skills and experiences to:

• Analyze a topographical map
• Analyze a weather chart
• Evaluate graphs of oceans
• Interpret a climatogram
• Interpret a weather chart
• Interpret a weather map
• Make a prediction about water pollution
• Predict the effects of weathering on objects
• Relate causes and effects of climate
• Relate causes and effects of Earth phenomena
• Relate causes and effects of rock formations

The offering should include TEKS strands, content correlated with Project CLEAR, project-based learning, hands-on experiences, ways to address diverse learners, integration of technology in a one computer classroom, measurement included when appropriate. The offerings should include transfer of knowledge from concept to application, integration of science concepts across disciplines, science content and science processes connections, science/math integration, and science/math vocabulary links. Teachers should produce units with specific lessons based on the scientific process skills and objectives.

Content materials that the district can provide include:

• sample TAAS released tests so that the lessons can incorporate the vocabulary, skills, concepts, style of questioning, level of thinking, transfer of knowledge
• item analysis of objectives
• lesson plan format for the entire unit
• information on vistas from the Dana Center

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