The teacher licensure standards for Minnesota which are addressed either fully or partially by this course include the following:

E.  A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of scientific perspectives, scientific connections, science in personal and social perspectives, the domains of science, and the methods and materials for teaching science and scientific inquiry.  The teacher must

(1)  understand science as a human endeavor, the nature of scientific knowledge, and the historical perspective of science;
(2)  know and apply the understandings and abilities of scientific inquiry including the ability to

(a)  identify questions and concepts that can be explored through scientific inquiry;
(b) design and conduct scientific investigations;
(c)  use appropriate scientific instrumentation and equipment and mathematics as tools to improve scientific investigations and communications;
(d) compare the use of multiple types of inquiry to answering questions;
(e) evaluate alternative explanations and models based on evidence, current scientific understanding, and logic, and;
(f) communicate and defend a scientific argument

(3) know how to make connections across the domains of science, between science and technology, and between science and other school subjects;

(4) use scientific understandings and abilities when making decisions about personal and societal issues;

(7)  know and apply the fundamental concepts and principles of earth and space science concerning properties of earth materials; objects in the sky; changes in earth and sky; structure of the earth system, including hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere; history of the earth; and earth in the solar system;

(8)
     (c)  understand common student misconceptions in science and developmentally appropriate strategies to elicit students' misconceptions and help them move to accepted scientific understandings;

(note: this course addresses misconceptions in Earth Science but does not address developmentally appropriate strategies, which would be covered in a different course)

In addition to the standards listed above, which all elementary teachers are expected to meet, this course addresses some of the standards expected of teachers of science in grades 5-8, listed below.

(1) understand and conduct science inquiry as evidenced by the ability to:

(a) ask appropriate theoretical or empirical questions about a given system or event that build on current scientific knowledge and can be answered scientifically;
(b) using appropriate methods, technology and mathematical tools, design and conduct a scientific investigation to answer a given question;
(c) using appropriate sources of information, develop qualitative and quantitative solutions to problems;
(d) clearly and concisely communicate the methods, procedures, result and conclusions for a given empirical question or problem using words, diagrams, tables, graphs and mathematical relationships;
(e) justify a scientific explanation of a system or event, compared to alternative explanations, based on available empirical evidence, current scientific understanding and logical arguments;
(f) using knowledge of common errors of evidence and logic, criticize a given science-related claim or argument;

(1) connections across the domains of science as evidenced by the ability to:

(a) using words and diagrams to describe a given technological, biological, physical, earth or space system in terms of its components, inputs, outputs and control or feedback;
(b) using a specific example to describe the use of a given unifying theme or principle in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences;
(c)  using unifying scientific principles, explain a given set of seemingly unrelated systems or events, both within a science domain and across science domains;

(a) describe the similarities and differences between the goals and processes of scientific inquiry and the goals and processes of technological design;
(b) explain how a new technology influenced the development of scientific knowledge in a contemporary or historical context and how science technology led to technological advances in similar contexts;
(c) explain and predict the possible unexpected benefits and the negative side effects and unintended consequences of a given technological advance;
(d) explain why the contributions of individuals from different scientific disciplines and of technology were necessary for the success of a given contemporary or historical scientific investigation;
(e) design a modification or use of a system to meet certain needs or criteria in either chemistry, earth and space science, biology or physics;

(a) clearly and precisely communicate the observations, methods and procedures, results and conclusions for a given empirical question or problem using words, physical or computer models, diagrams, etc…
(a) …and explanations of how or why something happens, predictions of what will happen with a given change, a design for modifying or using a system, and evaluation of the design against its criteria;
(b) interpret a given text, physical or computer model, demonstration, diagram, flow chart, set of numbers, table, graph, and appropriate mathematical relationships;
(c) use computer software or graphing calculators to display and analyze data and to model solutions to a prediction or design problem;
(d) explain how mathematics influenced the development of scientific knowledge or how new science led to new math in a given contemporary or historical context ;
(e) describe the impact on society and culture of a given historical development of scientific ideas;

(1) predict the scientific, economic, political and ethical factors that could influence a course of action to address a given personal issue or local, national or global challenge;

(2) using the systematic approaches of science and scientific knowledge, design a course of action to address a personal issue or a given local, national or global challenge;

(3) justify and defend a given design for a course of action in terms of an assessment of alternatives, risks, costs, and benefits, and consideration of who benefits/suffers, who pays/gains, who/what is at risk;
 

D.  To understand and apply fundamental principles, laws and concepts of earth and space science, life science and physical science, a science teacher must:

(1) know and apply the fundamental principles, laws and concepts of earth and space science including understanding:

(a) the components and evolution of the Earth system as evidenced by the ability to:

(i) describe the physical properties of a given Earth material using words, diagrams, pictures and graphs;
(ii) from observation of its composition, texture and physical state using physical, geological or biological processes, explain a plausible way in which a given rock formed through time;
(iii) in terms of environmental changes, structural events, plate tectonics, and sedimentary, metamorphic and biologic process, explain how differences in rock sequences relate to their formation processes;
(iv) in terms of environmental changes, structural events, plate tectonics, and sedimentary, metamorphic and biologic process, explain a plausible way in which a given rock sequence formed through time;
(v) explain the origin and development of a given Earth structure in terms of the physical processes that formed it;
(vi) in terms of known rock sequences, predict how a given geologic or biologic event might be recorded in a rock sequence;
(vii) using the fossil record and decay rates of radioactive isotopes, explain how the age of a given rock is determined;

(b) matter and energy in the Earth system as evidenced by the ability to:

(i) using convection, conduction and radiation, explain how matter is transported and how energy helps to move matter within and between given Earth subsystems or structures;
(ii) using convection, conduction, radiation and conservation of energy, explain how energy is transmitted and transformed within and between given Earth subsystems or structures;
(iii) design a simple physical model that mimics the behavior of a given Earth system;
(iv) using words, diagrams and chemical equations, describe the processes involved in the movement of chemical elements or compounds among different given chemical reservoirs in the Earth;

(b) the Earth in the solar system and the universe as evidenced by the ability to:

(i) explain how the properties and organization of galaxies provide evidence that the universe is continuously changing;
(ii) using fundamental processes of chemical, physical and geological change, explain how processes of change on a given solar system object are different or similar to Earth;
(iii) using words, diagrams and physical models, describe the motion of objects in our solar system;
(iv) using Earth's axial rotation, axis tilt, and changing position with respect to the sun, qualitatively explain the seasonal variations in the length of a day and sun angle at various Earth latitudes;

(c) human interactions with the earth system as evidenced by the ability to:

(i) describe the scientific basis for predicting the occurrence of a given environmental hazard on a human time frame using words, diagrams, pictures, graphs, historic records and physical models;
(ii) using words, diagrams, pictures, maps and physical or computer models, describe the observed changes in a given Earth system that are due directly or indirectly to human activity;
(iii) predict the probable movement of pollutants in a given Earth system using words, diagrams, pictures, maps and physical or computer models;