What is the integrated science major and how does it fit into a certification program in elementary teaching (K-8)? Students will take the following courses offered by The Mallinson Institute for Science Education and the Science Departments as part of an integrated science major (36 credits) for K-8 certification. These courses, distributed among the life, physical and earth sciences, have been specifically chosen to meet the needs of middle school science teachers:
CORE CURRICULUM (28 credits)
Life Sciences
| BIOS 1700 Life Science for Elementary Educators I | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| BIOS 2700 Life Science for Elementary Educators II | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| BIOS
1500 Molecular and Cellular Biology
or BIOS 2400 Human Physiology |
4 credits, laboratory course | 10 credits |
Physical Sciences
| PHYS 1800 Physical Sciences for Elementary Educators I | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| SCI 2800 Physical Science for Elementary Educators II | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| CHEM 1100 General Chemistry | 3 credits | 9 credits |
Earth & Space Science
| GEOG 1900 Earth Science for Elementary Educators I | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| GEOS 2900 Earth Science for Elementary Educators II | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| PHYS 1040 Introduction to the Sky and Solar System | 3 credits | 9 credits |
Courses offered through the Mallinson Institute above (BIOS 1700, BIOS 2700, PHYS 1800, SCI 2800, GEOG 1900, GEOS 2900) are small section courses (24 students) that have been specifically designed to focus on open-ended problem solving activities that model how to teach by inquiry.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (8 credits)
To complete the 36 credit hour major, students are required to complete an additional 8 credits in science from the following courses. These courses must be distributed in two of the three science content areas (life science, physical science, and earth & space science). At least two of these must be listed as laboratory courses:
Life Sciences
| BIOS 1050 Environmental Biology | 3 credits |
| BIOS 1500 Molecular and Cellular Biology | 4 credits, laboratory course |
| BIOS 1510 Organismal Biology | 4 credits, laboratory course |
| BIOS 2400 Human Physiology | 4 credits, laboratory course |
Physical Sciences
| CHEM 1110 General Chemistry Lab | 1 credit, laboratory course |
| ENGR 1010 Introduction to Engineering I | 3 credits, laboratory course |
| PHYS 1000 How Things Work | 4 credits, laboratory course |
| PHYS 1060 Introduction to Stars and Galaxies | 3 credits |
Earth & Space Science
| PHYS 1030 Introduction to the Sky and Solar System, lab | 1 credit, laboratory course |
| GEOG 2250 Introduction to Meteorology and Climatology | 4 credits, laboratory course |
| GEOS 3010 Minerals and Rocks | 4 credits, laboratory |
| GEOS 3220 Ocean Systems | 3 credits |
A description of the current elementary education degree and certification program can be viewed at the University’s Office of Admissions and Advising web pages at: www.wmich.edu/coe/admissions/el_ed_options.html
Do science content courses taken at local community colleges count towads these requirements? Western Michigan University has a very specific training program for the training of future middle school science teachers. This includes consideration of overall content (does the course provide an adequate overview of all of the science content future middle school science teachers will be expected to have had?) and also how courses are taught (is the course taught by inquiry such that it (or parts of it) model how future teachers will one day be expected to teach?). It is important to contact WMU's Advising Office in the College of Education (269-387-3474) to make sure that courses taken at community colleges do indeed count towards the major.