Introduction
Pre-planned lessons and the whole course in general help a teacher from wasting time unnecessarily. It also ensures that the teacher knows exactly what he is going to teach in class and therefore able to prepare himself thoroughly before class. It will be used as a way of ensuring that the teacher is on schedule and if not to look for extra time to complete on the syllabus. With the help of the template for teaching guide, (Web Institute for Teachers guide, 2000), this paper is a curriculum design of a science course for a teacher of an eighth grade. It outlines the audience of the teaching guide, the necessary skills of such a student and the contents to be covered by the course.
Audience
This teaching guide is designed for eighth-grade students. Hence, the core curricula should be designed to cater for the adolescent. “Middle school students are undergoing extensive psychological, physiological and social changes, which makes them curious, energetic and egocentric,” (State Board of Education 1985, P.79). This course, therefore, provides opportunities to further and cater to the concerns and wellbeing of adolescents and exposes them to topics of higher interests. The student must have, however, finished all the other levels of study (North Carolina Community College, 2010).
It is designed to help them see a connection between classwork theory and their daily activities in and outside the classroom arena. The investigations are conducted to help students realize who they are and they are motivated by the world. They not only learn about themselves but also about their surroundings, including the communities they live in, and the future career opportunities open to them.
Prerequisites
Science as a discipline relies heavily on the ability to reason logically and a student’s creativity. “A parallel reliance on scientific habits of mind such as intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas is crucial to the advancement of science and technology,” (State Board of Education 1985, P. 80). The students at this level should understand that though scientific ideas are supposed to be constant and unchanging, it is at the same time very probabilistic, uncertain, and replicable. The student should have a solid conceptual base on the nature of science and the fundamental principles underlying it.
To successfully go through this course, students should be able to investigate scientific facts and principles to test their practicability. They should also be able to hypothetically come up with questions and proceed to answer those questions through scientific methods. They should think logically and critically to be able to distinguish facts from myths. They should use science to gather, arrange and provide data as well as derive explanations from that data. They should analyze experimental procedures and communicate them and their results to the teacher. A student should be able to use the available tools and equipment to collect, review and communicate data.
Also, a student should have a basic knowledge of technology design since these skills are equally important to inquiry skills in this course. He should be able to identify the various issues in technological design and develop a method of analyzing the solution. He should identify the challenges to be considered and apply safe and practical abilities to operate data, tools, and technologies. He should implement a given design, evaluate such designs and give an account of the advantages and risks associated with a particular solution.
Subject matter
The study of science at this grade adds on to the concepts and skills accumulated from kindergarten to seventh grade. The main objective of studying science is to enable a student to understand the basic scientific principles and procedures and then apply them in day-to-day life. This is facilitated by this course through the evaluation of evolution theories both geological and biological. A student will conduct investigations using technological and informational resources to form an understanding of the existing evidence on how evolution occurs in organisms and landforms. It also evaluates technological and informational advancements and that knowledge is used to study the planet from space. Further, a student should be able to develop inquiry skills necessary in science through experiments and scientific investigations.
Students will study chemicals and their importance as well as the risks associated with them and how those risks may be avoided or minimized. He should understand how chemicals occur and account for their existence in both living and non-living matters. Further, they will evaluate biotechnology and the social-economic issues associated with it. The students will gain knowledge on hydrosphere. He will learn the unique properties as well as the structural components forming the hydrosphere. He will understand the environmental health requirements for various organisms and the effects of humans on this.
This course also deals with the connection between science and technology. “current media topics, emerging technologies, and research issues provide a real-world context for understanding and applying targeted grade-level skills and concepts,” (State Board of Education 1985, P. 81). A student will learn the varied definitions of technology as well as how to apply information systems.
Conclusion
A diligent and wise teacher is required to design a study guide before entering the classroom with detailed and clearly outlined contents of the course. This ensures that the delivery of the teachings is well organized and according to a good plan. Failure to plan may lead to time wastage and incomplete syllabus coverage since there is no clear guideline as to how one is to go about the whole course. A teacher should know how to design one and once formulated, it must be followed thoroughly.
References
North Carolina Community College System. (2010). Academic and Support Services, Basic Skills Department Framework for Program Quality: NC Basic Skills Technical Web.
State of Board of Education. (1985). North Carolina Standard Course of Study: Web.
Web Institute for Teachers guide. (2000). Curriculum Terms and Concepts: Using The Teaching Guide Template to Create Your own Teaching Guide. Web.