- to understand science and engineering practices of science 
teaching and learning
- to survey major issues in science curriculum
- to survey major issues in science assessment
- to introduce the range of uses of electronic technologies in 
science teaching and learning
- to survey major ethical, cultural, and social issues in 
science 
teaching
- to illustrate the application of these general principles 
using examples typically prominent in middle grades life and 
earth science teaching

Science and engineering practices
The learning cycle approach to science teaching
Examples of hands-on, minds-on activities appropriate for middle 
grades science
Rationales for the overall goals of a middle grades science 
program, with reference to various recent U.S. national science 
standards documents
Criteria for the design of the specific scope and sequence of 
the life science and earth science components of a curriculum 
plan for middle grades science, with reference to both state and 
local objectives and recent U.S. national science standards 
documents
Selecting and constructing traditional assessment items
Examples of alternative assessment approaches in middle school 
science
Electronic databases and technologies as teaching tools
Computer simulations of natural phenomena and of scientific 
problem solving processes as teaching tools for middle school 
science
Computer-network-accessed data and communications as a resource 
for science teaching
Gender equity issues in science and education
Use and treatment of animals (living and dead) in the science 
classroom
Health/sex/AIDS education as an aspect of science teaching and 
middle school curriculum
Historical and current conflicts between science and religion 
with regard to the subject matter areas of astronomy,
historical geology, and evolutionary biology

None