3/20/01 ka

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

1. Students are able to analyze sentences using traditional grammatical terminology and to apply their knowledge of grammar, punctuation and usage rules to the writing of school children as it relates to the California Language Arts Standards for K-6.

2. Students are able to write expository essays that illustrate their critical reading skills, their analytical writing skills, their ability to integrate information and ideas from multiple sources and to document their research.

3. Students are able to give a linguistic analysis of the stages of oral language acquisition and to show how these stages can apply to the development of reading and writing abilities of young children with particular attention to the needs of English Language Learners.

4. Students understand the competing claims of different camps in the "reading wars," and can demonstrate a knowledge of phonics, phonemic awareness, miscue analysis and cueing systems.

5. Students can trace the historical development of children's literature, are able to read critically, analyze, and write about a wide range of literature for children in terms of theme, character, setting, language, imagery, symbolism and structure, and understand the complex issues that influence the selection of books for children.

MATHEMATICS

The overall goal of the Liberal Studies mathematics courses is that students develop a deep understanding of the mathematics needed to teach grades K-8. Some specific outcomes are the following:

1. Students are able to engage mathematical problems in a variety of ways; to explore and question mathematical problems and their characteristics; to develop conjectures related to solving mathematical problems; and to demonstrate why particular answers are correct.

2. Students understand the properties of; and are able to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and use exponents with the real numbers. They are able to work with different models/meanings for these operations. Students are able to explain the ideas of the least common multiple of two or more integers, and the greatest common factor of two or more integers.

3. Students understand the development of the natural numbers, the whole numbers, the integers, the rational numbers, and the real numbers; and they understand how each extension was made, and what properties are gained in making each extension. In particular, they understand properties of signed numbers, decimals, and fractions.

4. Students understand how to illustrate numbers, operations, and properties on the number line and with a variety of diagrams and models.

5. Students are able to translate mathematical ideas from English into symbols, and from symbols into English.

6. Students can explain the Pythagorean Theorem, are able to prove it, and can apply it.

7. Students understand the fundamental principles of perimeter, area, volume, and the differences between these. They are able to derive the formulas for the areas of a rectangle, a parallelogram, a triangle, a circle, and some other related two-dimensional objects. They are able to derive the formulas for the volume of a box, a cylinder, a cone, and some other related three-dimensional objects.

8. Students understand the ideas of similarity and congruence, and are able to apply these ideas to a variety of problems.

NATURAL SCIENCE

1. Students understand science as a process of inquiry. This means they are able to ask scientific questions, gather data and observations, process their results, and synthesize coherent, justifiable trends or conclusions that can be applied to other systems.

2. Students are able to locate scientific information and analyze its usefulness and validity.

3. Students are able to use mathematical principles and computer technology to solve scientific problems.

4. Students have a broad knowledge of the Earth and its astronomical setting, its biological systems, and the physical principles which govern them.

5. Students recognize that science is based upon a small number of important principles which allow scientists to understand a diverse range of natural phenomena.

SOCIAL SCIENCE & HUMANITIES

1. Students will be able to write clearly and cogently in the context of required History, Social Science and Humanities courses.

2. Students will be able to evaluate critically and to employ intelligently primary and secondary sources of information and insight in History, the Social Sciences and the Humanities.

3. Students will be able to identify major points of agreement and contention in rival interpretations advanced by historians, social scientists, and humanities professionals.

4. Students will be able to identify and characterize signal events and trends of world and US history in relative chronologies.

5. Students will be able to identify and characterize absolute locations and locational relationships of major world and US geographic units.

6. Students will be able to identify clearly and characterize fairly the cultural patterns and perspectives of different groups in our multi-cultural state, country, and world.

7. Students will be able to identify and characterize different forms of economic activity and organization and different types of economic policy.

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Music

1. Students demonstrate a basic fluency with the elements of music such as pitch, rhythm, and timbre, and music concepts, including music notation.

2. Students use basic techniques to create vocal and instrumental music with children.

3. Students are able to identify and explain styles and types of music and instruments from a variety of times, places, and cultures.

4. Students are able to make judgments about musical works based on the elements and concepts of music.

Theatre

1. Students demonstrate a basic fluency in acting, directing, design and scriptwriting (plot and action).

2. Students apply these elements and principles in order to create dramatic activities with children including improvisation and character development.

3. Students are able to identify and explain styles of theatre from a variety of times, places and cultures.

4. Students are able to make judgments about dramatic works based on the elements of theatre

Art

1. Competent art portfolio samples. Students have a portfolio of studio work from their experiences with various activities and art media. Such work would include drawing (in pencil, charcoal, ink, crayon, etc.), painting (in watercolor or tempera paint), printmaking (a block print, a Styrofoam print, a cardboard print, a found object print, a mono print, etc.), sculpting (in clay, paper, cardboard, wood, etc.), and weaving ( in paper, yarn, string, etc.). The studio work would display the student's awareness of art and design elements (line, shape color, texture, space) and principles (unity, rhythm, proportion, balance). It also would show the student's creativity, expressivity, and ability to use the media.

2. Awareness of child development in art. Students would be knowledgeable about the developmental stages children go through in various elementary grade levels. They include the following: the manipulative stage (ages 2-5), from random scribbling, to mandalas, to specifically named images); the symbol-making stage (ages 6-9, from preschematic to schematic images); the preadolescent stage (ages 10-12, with pictorial attempts at showing spatial depth). Students also would show their knowledge of appropriate approaches to motivating elementary school children in the three developmental stages, and their ability to identify appropriate art media and teaching methods for each stage.

3. Awareness of aesthetics. Students would be able to define the field of aesthetics (aesthetics is philosophical inquiry into problems and issues of art) and to engage elementary school students in classroom activities which involve philosophical problems and issues (for example, they could consider the value of beauty or creativity in art, or whether items from nature could be considered art).

4. Awareness of art criticism. Students would be able to define the field of art criticism (art criticism consists of understanding and evaluating artworks currently being exhibited, and communicating those ideas to others) and to engage elementary school students in classroom activities which utilize critical procedural steps, such as describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging art. Students would know how to teach sequential concepts, such as by first introducing the art/design elements and principles, and then using them in the critical process.

5. Awareness of art history. Students would be able to define the field of art history (art history involves the study of art in an historical context, and within an historical time line, utilizing external data, such as political, economic, religious, or technological influences, as well as internal qualities evident in the art work, itself; art historians increase knowledge of the field of art by focusing on the work of particular artists, as well as on artwork within art periods and art styles). Students would be aware of the importance of art as cultural heritage. They would be able to develop a few art lessons in which they presented to children examples of art works of different periods and styles, explaining characteristics of the works, and comparing contrasting the differences.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

1. Discuss the importance and significance of quality, daily, developmentally and instructionally appropriate physical education for children as it applies to lifelong participation in physical activity health and well being. Assessment: Philosophy paper; essay exam; presentations to class or to a select group of people (educators, parents, community group, peers, etc.).

2. Establish and maintain a positive, productive, cooperative physical education learning environment that reinforces appropriate social interactions and acceptance of differences, maximizes the time spent engaged in developmentally appropriate movement activities, and minimizes time lost during transitions or disruptions that require disciplinary action. Assessment: Successfully prepare and teach a lesson plan to peers or to children that addresses the above components; prepare a unit plan that addresses the above components; view and analyze video tapes of physical education teaching in terms of the above variables; observe professional physical educators in a teaching environment and analyze lessons in terms of above variables; and participate in problem-based learning groups that develop guidelines for addressing the above variables.

3. Integrate movement activities with general curricula. Assessment: Write integrated lesson plans or unit plans that demonstrate the ability to enhance other academic subjects (math, language arts, social studies, science, the arts and health) through movement. Identify on an examination or quiz developmentally appropriate movement activities that can be integrated into the curriculum; peer teach a lesson that integrates movement and general curricula content; observe a lesson taught by a professional physical educator and extend the lesson content by elaborating on how academic subject matter could be integrated into the lesson; and design a creative dance to extend and enhance a thematic unit (i.e. the dessert, jungle, ocean, weather, etc.).

4. Design simple to complex progressions and applications for learning movement concepts and locomotor, non-locomotor, and/or manipulative skills that emphasize refinement cues and maximum participation. Assessment: Write lesson and/or block plans and/or unit plans that demonstrate an integration of movement concepts and motor skill. Through a cooperative learning experience, design and discuss appropriate sequential movement experiences that demonstrate an understanding of skill development and movement concepts.

5. Apply principles, mechanics, and concepts of physical fitness and wellness components as they relate to personal health and/or physical performance. Assessment: Observe and assess peer teaching of physical fitness lessons; observe and assess fitness testing in the school setting.

6. Select, teach, and evaluate developmentally appropriate fitness activities for children. Assessment: Teach physical fitness concepts to children and administer California's mandated physical fitness test (Prudential Fitness gram). Observe and assess fitness testing in the school setting. Administer the fitnessgram in the school setting. Participate in the testing process and receive their own fitnessgram report card.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

1. Students will attain and apply knowledge of cognitive, social and physical development to understanding differences between individual children.

2. Students will interpret similarities and differences in children's behavior with reference to concepts of human development.

3. Students will use developmental concepts and principles to explain children's behavior

4. Students will use knowledge of social development to predict the behavior of children in small and large group settings

5. Students will develop their writing skills

6. Students will apply some course content to their own development

7. Students will complete a field component that has two purposes:

a. to complete observations related to academic content

b. to explore possible career options working with children such as teaching