Science Education, Secondary Earth Science

Three Dimensional Science and Engineering focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of science and engineering pedagogical knowledge. This course is the first of three science teaching methods courses and provides a robust foundation in integrating disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices in phenomena-based curriculum and instruction. Candidates will delve into planning learning experiences, designing instructional strategies, and utilizing phenomena-based teaching to promote engagement and understanding. Reflective practices, such as evaluating observed teaching, analyzing personal teaching methods, and reviewing course content, are emphasized to foster continuous improvement. The course will be assessed via an integrated performance assessment task, requiring candidates to demonstrate their instructional skills.

The course "Laboratory Safety" aims at equipping learners with essential safety knowledge and skills for various learning environments, including laboratories, classrooms, and field settings. Learners in this course will deeply understand safety protocols, legal responsibilities, and effective teaching strategies for safety in educational settings.

General Secondary Methods prepares students for secondary teaching by equipping them with essential instructional skills and knowledge tailored to adolescent learners. Students will explore how adolescent development influences learning, how secondary school settings influence instructional choices, and how to implement effective teaching strategies in these environments. Through a blend of theory and practical application, students will create and assess lesson plans, focusing on differentiated instruction, formative and summative assessments, and the integration of technology, including AI tools, to promote affective learning in diverse secondary education settings.

MAT Secondary Earth Science Curriculum prepares students to develop and evaluate Earth Science curricula for secondary education by exploring the core principles of Earth's processes, materials, and the relationships between the Earth, Sun, and Moon, as well as the broader context of stars, planets, and the universe. Learners will delve into the hydrosphere and atmosphere, examining their dynamics and the intricate interactions that drive Earth's systems. The course also emphasizes the evaluation and alignment of Earth Science curriculum resources with secondary standards and individual student needs. Learners will gain the skills to critically assess and adapt instructional materials, ensuring they meet diverse learning styles and needs in secondary Earth Science classrooms. Through practical examples and interactive activities, this course equips learners with the knowledge and tools to effectively design, evaluate, and implement a comprehensive Earth Science curriculum.

Secondary Disciplinary Literacy is a cutting-edge course designed for candidates seeking to enhance their literacy skills within specific secondary academic disciplines. The course examines the distinct literacy needs of various secondary content areas, focusing on how reading, writing, speaking, and listening function differently in each discipline. Candidates will explore specialized language structures and text features relevant to each field and develop strategies to help students master these complexities. The curriculum integrates the science of reading to support critical engagement with and production of disciplinary texts, while also incorporating technology and digital literacy to aid students in accessing and interpreting discipline-specific information. The course combines research-based evidence with practical, structured literacy activities to equip educators with the skills necessary to improve student achievement and understanding across all subjects. This course is a required component in SCED programs and will be assessed through a performance assessment task for both undergraduate and graduate versions.

MA, Science Education Teacher Performance Assessment contains a comprehensive, original, research-based curriculum unit designed to meet an identified educational need. It provides direct evidence of the candidate’s ability to design and implement a multi-week, standards-based unit of instruction, assess student learning, and then reflect on the learning process. The WGU Teacher Performance Assessment requires students to plan and teach a multi-week standards-based instructional unit consisting of seven components: 1) contextual factors, 2) learning goals, 3) assessment, 4) design for instruction, 5) instructional decision-making, 6) analysis of student learning, and 7) self-evaluation and reflection.

Geology I: Physical provides undergraduate students seeking initial licensure or endorsement in secondary science education with an introduction to minerals and rocks, the physical features of the Earth, and the internal and surface processes that shape those features. This course has no prerequisites.

Geology II: Earth Systems provides graduate students seeking licensure or endorsement and/or to earn their MA degree in secondary science education with an examination of the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere and the dynamic equilibrium of these systems over geologic time. This course also examines the history of Earth and its lifeforms, with an emphasis in meteorology. A prerequisite for this course is Geology I: Physical.

Astronomy provides graduate students seeking initial licensure or endorsement and/or to earn their MA degree in secondary or middle grade science education with essential knowledge of astronomy. This course explores Western history and basic physics of astronomy; phases of the moon and seasons; composition and properties of solar system bodies; stellar evolution and remnants; properties and scale of objects and distances within the universe; and introductory cosmology. A prerequisite for this course is General Physics.

This course investigates the complex ocean system by looking at the way its components—atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere—interact. Specific topics include the origins of Earth’s oceans and the early history of life; physical characteristics and geologic processes of the ocean floor; chemistry of the water molecule; energy flow between air and water and how ocean surface currents and deep circulation patterns affect weather and climate; marine biology and why ecosystems are an integral part of the ocean system; the effects of human activity; and the role of professional educators in teaching about ocean systems.

This course covers the advanced content knowledge that a secondary earth science teacher is expected to know and understand. Topics include basic scientific principles of earth and space sciences, tectonics and internal earth processes, earth materials and surface processes, history of the Earth and its life-forms, Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere, and astronomy.