SARDAR BAHADUR KHAN WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY,
QUETTA
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Course title: General science I
Program of study: [Link] (Hons)
Course Instructor:
Year/Semester: Year 1/Semester 1st
Number of teaching weeks: 16
Credit value: 3
Pre-requisites: General science I (Semester 1)
Course code: EDU-131
Course description:-
This Science I course will refresh and strengthen prospective teachers’ subject matter knowledge.
It lays a foundation for the pedagogical content knowledge also required to effectively teach general
science in elementary school. The course covers core concepts in physical science, life science, and
earth science. Also covered are the teaching strategies and instructional approaches that best
support the development of conceptual understanding of science. Science I in Semester 1 is
followed by Science II in Semester 3. Both courses integrate science content with science pedagogy
and skill building instead of teaching them separately. Both content outcomes and process
outcomes have been listed. This division in the objectives between content and process is primarily
one of convenience. It allows outcomes to be adequately represented in a written document. In the
classroom, content and process should always be addressed simultaneously. After completing
Science I and Science II, the prospective student teachers will be well prepared to implement the
National Curriculum in elementary grades 1-5. The Science I and Science II course materials are
designed to prepare prospective elementary teachers to teach inquiry science in grades 1-5. The
(pedagogical) content knowledge is chosen accordingly. Prospective science teachers who want to
teach science in higher elementary grades (6-8) should deepen their science knowledge further by
attending additional science classes offered in Year 3 and Year 4 of the [Link]. (Hons) program.
Course outcomes:-
After completing this course the learners will be able to:
• describe the interdependence of ecosystems and the organisms within and how changes
affect populations and the equilibrium of a system. Relate evolutionary forces to the
diversity of ecosystems and of the species within them
• identify the effects of human activities and naturally occurring changes on ecosystems and
the consequences of those changes
• begin to see the Earth as a system consisting of major interacting components that
consistently undergo change. Physical, chemical, and biological processes act within and
among them on a wide range of timescales
• describe physical and chemical properties and physical/chemical processes with a special
focus on the change of state of matter and how this change relates to energy
• develop an understanding of common misconceptions about matter and particle theory
• describe a chemical reaction in the context of a rearrangement of atoms and also in the
context of the formation of a new substance with new properties
• investigate the relationships among force, mass, and motion of an object or system
• apply various models to science teaching while recognizing their limitations. Prevent
potential misconceptions that could result from the use of some widely used models
• read, record, and analyse data and present that data in meaningful ways.
Course Content:-
Unit # Title of the Unit Content Week
1 Course Course overview 1 st
Overview • Introduction to Science
• Branches of science
• Teaching of science: reflect upon the way
Student Teachers learned science and how
they want to teach science when they
graduate
2 Properties of • Matter and states of matter: solid, liquid, gas 2nd
matter and plasma with examples.
• Atoms, molecules, mixtures, elements, and 3rd
compounds
• Physical properties of matter, including 4th
melting point, boiling point, hardness,
density, and conductivity
3 Force and • Force 5th
motion • Types of force
• Motion 6th
• Types of motion
Laws of motion: Newton’s first, second
•
and third law of motion
• Relationship among force, mass, and 7th
motion of an object
• Teaching ‘force and motion’ in
elementary grade
MID TERM 8th
4 Earth: The blue • Earth: an inhabitable planet 9th
planet • Weather and seasons
• Constant changes on Earth: rock cycle 10th
• Earthquakes and volcanoes
• Teaching ‘earth the blue planet’ in 11th
elementary grades
5 Diversity and • Diversity of living things 12th
adaptations
• Systems of classification 13th
• Adaptations for survival
• Evolution and diversity
14th
• Teaching ‘diversity and adaptations’ in
elementary grades
6 Populations 15th
and ecosystems • Basic needs of living things
• Interdependencies of living things (symbiotic
relationship
16th
• Ecosystems and habitats
• Population growth: survival and extinction 17th
FINAL TERM 18th
Teaching strategies/approaches:-
• Brainstorming
• Demonstration method
• Problem solving method
• Project method
• Think pair share
• Observation method
EXAMINATION SUMMARY:
Examination
→ Quiz Presentation Assignment Mid Term Final Term
(10) (5) (5) (30) (50)
Week 6th 5th 7th 8th 18th
→
Time 15 5 Minutes 90 3
→ Minutes for each A4 pages Minutes. Hours.
presentation.
Marks 10 5 5 30 50
→
PRESENTATION TOPIC:
Laws of Motion
PROJECT ASSIGNEMNT:
Systems of classification
SUGGESTED READINGS:
• Target Science: Physics by Stephen Pople
• Target Science: Chemistry by Michael Clugston and Rosalind Fleming
• The Teaching of Science in Primary Schools by Wynne Harlen
• Inquiry: Thoughts, Views, and Strategies for the K–5 Classroom – National
Science Foundation
• Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K–8 Science Classrooms –
National Research Council
• Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K–8 –
National Research Council
• Lederman, N., and Abd-El-Khalick, F. ‘Avoiding De-Natured Science: Activities
That Promote Understandings of the Nature of Science’.Retrieved from:
• [Link]
[Link].
• ‘A Science Prototype: Rutherford and the Atom’. Retrieved from:
[Link]
• Understanding Science is a website that communicates what science is and how it
works:
[Link]
• For an easy-to-understand illustration of Newton’s laws of motion, refer to:
[Link]
• For information about Bloom’s Taxonomy, refer to:
[Link]