Description
Using reading materials, videos, primary sources, secondary sources, and discussions, the course will explore components of such topics as:
- The Scientific Method
- Laws of Thermodynamics
- Archimedes' buoyancy principle
- Cell and Germ theories
- Evolution and natural selection
- The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Disciplines that will be covered include such areas as:
- Biology
- Genetics and Physiology
- Microbiology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Environmental Science
- Earth Science
Objectives
The course will stress the following learning goals:
- Students should develop a perception of science as a way of understanding the world around them, not as a collection of theories and definitions to be memorized.
- Students should understand that assertions require justification based on evidence and logic, and should develop an ability to supply appropriate justifications for their assertions.
- Students should be able to perceive patterns and regularity, make predictions, and test those predictions against evidence and reason.
- Students should be able to analyze and interpret data.
- Student should be able to read a variety of domain-specific scientific and technical texts and to write using the language conventions of scientific discourse, including but not limited to laboratory reports.
The course will incorporate the following SDAIE goals:
- Provide academic content in an environment that supports the development of English language skills
- Supply supplemental materials to improve understanding of content material
- Provide students with guided instruction such that concepts, content material, and vocabulary are more accessible to EL students
- Ensure ample opportunity for student and peer interactions
- Employ a variety of SDAIE teaching strategies to make concepts, content material, and vocabulary more easily understood by EL students