Urban Elementary Education BS for K-6 Licensure

This course focuses on practical applications of mathematics and is a good introduction to the broad spectrum of areas that use mathematical understanding. This course is designed for those students who are not planning to take any further mathematics courses.

Full course description for Math for Liberal Arts

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

This course is an introduction to the study of living things. Topics covered include: cell biology, evolution, use of the microscope, and the diversity of life. Lab included. Intended for students preparing for BIOL 111 General Biology and students seeking a general education science course with lab. First day attendance required except by instructor permission.

Full course description for Introduction to the Life Sciences

This course is an introduction to the genetics, anatomy, physiology, and evolution of the human body in both health and disease. Lab included. Intended for general education students, students preparing for BIOL 111 General Biology and students needing a one-semester introduction to human biology.

Full course description for Human Biology

This course is an introduction to concepts, methods and vocabulary of the science of chemistry. Topics include scientific method, the history of chemistry, measurement and problem-solving in chemistry, the nature of matter and energy, atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, chemical bonding, the periodic table, solid, liquids, gases and chemical solutions. Includes lab. Intended for students preparing for CHEM 111 General Chemistry as well as students seeking a general education science course with lab.

Full course description for Introduction to Chemistry

Principles of chemistry as they apply to important environmental and societal issues. Topics will be drawn from: energy sources, alternative fuels, radioactivity, global warming, ozone, pollution, acid rain, plastics and polymers, drug development, nutrition and genetic engineering. Includes lab. Intended for students preparing for Chem 111 General Chemistry as well as students seeking a general education science course with lab.

Full course description for Chemistry, Society and the Environment

Students will study biological and chemical concepts relating to food and cooking. Students will learn about structure and bonding of food constituents, cell theory, signaling, and biological structure. The course will also explore the history of food, ailments, or cures associated with food. Students will be able to examine foods in different cultures and apply their knowledge from the course to understand the importance of these foods.

Full course description for The Science of Cooking

This course examines the evolution of the universe and the movements within the solar system and life cycles of stars. It is designed for students with a natural interest and fascination for planets, stars, and the universe. The class has access to a large telescope, a planetarium and color slides of recent space probes. Also, it explores special topics of interest including supernovas, quasars, gas giant planets and other wonders of the unfolding universe. Lab included. Intended for general education students and students majoring in Life Sciences Teaching.

Full course description for Introduction to Astronomy

This course is an introduction to the atmospheric sciences, including meteorology, climatology, and atmospheric chemistry. This course emphasizes scientific method, human impact on the environment, and the climate and weather in Minnesota. Includes lab. Intended for general education students and students majoring in Life Sciences Teaching.

Full course description for Air, Weather and Climate

This is an introductory course in physics covering one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion, forces, solids, fluids, heat, temperature, electricity, magnetism, waves and light. This course is focused on topics that are important in the environmental and life sciences, the development of quantitative problem-solving skills, and practical applications. Includes lab. This course meets the Physics course requirement of the Biology BA, Environmental Science BS, and Life Sciences Teaching BS programs, and the General Education Goal 3 Science requirement.

Full course description for Introduction to Physics

This course is an introduction to geology, meteorology and astronomy. Topics include measurement and the scientific method, rocks and minerals, weathering and erosion, earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, geologic time and the history of the Earth, structure and composition of the atmosphere, weather patterns, climate, a history of modern astronomy, the solar system, light and the sun, and stars beyond our solar system. Check the Class Schedule for the dates and times of required field trips. Includes Lab.

Full course description for Introduction to Earth Sciences

This course introduces the geological materials, processes and events of the earth's surface and crust that are most relevant to human populations. The phenomena studied include natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, floods, and hurricanes, as well as important resources such as water, soil, traditional and alternative energy resources, and pollution and remediation of water and air quality.

Full course description for Environmental Geology

An introduction to the science of conservation biology applied to the ecology of Minnesota, focusing on Minnesota's natural ecosystems and the connections between humans and the environment. Lab activities vary with the season and the instructor's expertise. Field trips to forest, prairie and/or wetland ecosystems are a required part of class; check the class schedule for the dates and times of field trips. Includes lab. Intended for general education students.

Full course description for Minnesota Ecology and Conservation Biology

An introduction to environmental science and the range of environmental issues that affect people on a global, local and personal level. Topics include sustainability, ecology, biodiversity, solid waste, water pollution, energy sources, air pollution, and climate change. Includes lab. The online version of this course requires students to purchase lab materials. Intended for general education students. Because college-level science courses contain extensive new terminology, many students find it helpful to take LING 111-Vocabulary Study prior to taking this course.

Full course description for Environmental Science

The focus of this course is the science of growing plants with an ecological perspective, including basic botany, soil science and insect pest management. In this course students will grow flowers, herbs and vegetables in the University's GROW-IT center greenhouse and learn about ecosystems and environmental issues related to food supply, agriculture, soil conservation and pest control. Intended for General Education students. Includes lab.

Full course description for Garden Science

This course introduces students to the concepts and tools used by geographers to think critically about the relationship between humans and their environment. Geographers use this focus to answer contemporary questions of political, economic, social and environmental concern. This course is designed to help students understand the role human and physical geographies play in shaping individuals' experiences and understanding of the world.

Full course description for Introduction to Geography

This survey course traces U.S. development through colonial times, the making of the Republic, and the nineteenth century up to and including the Civil War. Students and instructor work together in solving historical problems and learning historical skills.

Full course description for The American Past: To 1865

This survey course traces U.S. development from the end of the Civil War until the present day. Students study post war Reconstruction in the South, the return of legal and social discrimination against African Americans, the advent and results of the Industrial Revolution, the making of modern capitalism, the increasing political and economic roles of women, the two World Wars, and America as a world power and multiethnic society.

Full course description for The American Past: From 1865

Does the world have a history? This course is based on an affirmative answer to the question. A history of the world must be more than a mere compendium of facts about disparate societies and traditions. In this course students study the interactions among far-flung civilizations in ancient and medieval times. However, for most of the period considered in this course, those interactions were quite limited. Therefore, a coherent account of human history as a whole before the modern era emerges in large measure from comparisons among independently developing societies, and from a search for common patterns of development. Both similarities and important differences receive due attention. Topics include: the change from hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary agriculture; the rise of cities, social stratification, and the beginnings of written culture and organized religion; the complex civilizations and empires of West Asia, East Asia, Africa, Mesoamerica, and Europe; gender…

Full course description for World History I: Patterns of Civilization to 1500

This course examines the interactions among the world's peoples as they were brought increasingly into contact with one another after 1500. The rise of capitalism, colonialism and imperialism were closely linked to the creation of the modern world system, a system that took shape out of the cooperation and conflict among and between people as they were drawn into a world economy. Their experiences, the experiences of the people of the past as they both created and confronted the modern world, are thus central to an understanding of our own place in it.

Full course description for World History II: The Modern World, 1500 to the Present

This course introduces students to the structure of American government, the core ideas and values that underlie it, and approaches to effective civic engagement. Through reading, class exercises, and case studies students gain an understanding of how American political institutions function and how to engage in meaningful political action.

Full course description for Introduction to US Politics and Government

The spectrum of physical and motor development of children from conception to age 8 will be covered in this course. Students will also be introduced to foundations of good nutrition and health maintenance for young children. There will be opportunities to develop nutritional plans for yearly childhood programs that respect cultural and religious diversity. Students will consider health policies for schools and child care centers as well as assess and plan large and small motor activities for groups and individual children. The effects of drugs will be addressed, from the prenatal period through the use of medication to treat behavior and emotional conditions in early childhood.

Full course description for Physical Development, Health, Nutrition, Effects of Drugs in Birth-Grade 6

Theories and realities of diverse family structure and function will be the foundation of this course. The students will examine the unique roles of parents, family, and community in the lives of children who live in urban settings with particular focus on the racial, cultural and ethnic groups that reside in the metropolitan Twin Cities. Opportunities will be available for students to compare their own life and family experiences to those of children living in today's urban communities through primary research experiences. The role of the urban teacher in effectively working with diverse urban families, and strategies for building effective home-school partnerships will be discussed. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for The Child and the Family in an Urban Setting

This course will provide the prospective teacher with opportunities to plan and implement developmentally and culturally appropriate activities in the arts for young urban children. The students in this course will be introduced to the basic theories of teaching the visual arts, creative movement, music and creative dramatics within a developmental program for young children. Integration of the arts into the regular daily curriculum of urban early childhood settings will be a major focus of this course. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for The Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Education

This course is an introduction to the use of information technology (IT) devices and applications to promote teaching and learning in k-12 educational settings for students with and without disabilities. Teacher candidates will learn primary tools and software applications to promote teacher productivity and integration of IT to promote curriculum, instruction, assessment, and family/educator communication. In addition to instruction and productivity for k-12 general education settings, the course will include introduction to accessibility issues and the "digital divide" that impact urban learners and educators. Students in this course will demonstrate their competence using technology by developing an electronic, standards-based portfolio.

Full course description for Information Technology for K-12 Education

This course will review the development of children ages three to five, and connect development to the practices used to design appropriate learning experiences for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children in urban settings. Students will learn curriculum and instructional strategies which integrate development, skills and content knowledge in individualized, culturally respectful manners. As prospective urban teachers, students in this course will be introduced to the concepts and criteria for determining school readiness as well as learning the rationale and strategies for developmentally appropriate guidance. This course will help students develop holistic, child centered approaches to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten curricula. Students also complete a field experience practicum in an urban pre-kindergarten or kindergarten settings to integrate knowledge gained in class with experiences working with urban three to five year-olds.

Full course description for Urban Pre-K and Kindergarten Curriculum and Practicum

This practicum is designed to give urban teacher candidates the opportunity to document and reflect upon at least 40 hours practical clinical experience working with diverse youth in an urban middle school or high school. Most of the field experience hours will be determined by field-based assignments required in other Education courses. Included with these experiences, urban teacher candidates practice using diagnostic assessment to guide their instructional planning of at least three lessons for a small group of 1-5 students needing help to improve their reading or mathematics literacy. Successful completion of this practicum is a prerequisite for student teaching. Requirements include attendance and participation in periodic seminars to help prospective urban teacher candidates reflect upon their field experiences, and prepare for future clinical field experiences including student teaching. Co-requisites: EDU 306, OR EDU 606, OR EDU 323, OR EDU 481.

Full course description for Urban Teaching Practicum and Seminar

This course provides pre-service Early Childhood and Elementary teachers with the theoretical foundations and practical skills necessary to become reflective professionals who can analyze and select high quality and developmentally appropriate literature for children. Student will develop skills needed to guide children's selection of books, understand how to use literature with children, design age appropriate lessons and activities to stimulate and extend children's literary experiences and reading enjoyment throughout the elementary curriculum for economically, academically, culturally, racially and linguistically diverse children. Session topics will focus on student motivation, classroom organization , and teaching with children's literature. Central to all topics is the use /inclusion of literature that is multicultural/multiethnic.

Full course description for Teaching Children's Literature in Urban Grades K-6

Students will learn to use formal and informal assessment and evaluation strategies to plan and individualize curriculum and instructional practices in diverse, urban Early Childhood and Elementary classrooms. The foundations of assessment theory and practice will be presented, including the integration of performance standards for grades K-6, standardized testing requirements, and developmentally appropriate practice for diverse learning needs in urban settings. Students will have opportunities to develop and practice authentic assessment tools and strategies with the goal of using assessment to guide instruction. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Assessment of Learning in Urban Grades K-6

This course addresses current research on the correlation between classroom management and academic achievement. The student will explore multiple methods and strategies for integrating effective classroom management approaches and developing learning communities in urban K-6 classrooms.

Full course description for Integrated Classroom Management Methods in Urban Grades K-6

This course provides the background for teaching contemporary mathematics in the elementary school. The use of mathematics manipulatives for modeling the basic operations is emphasized. Set theory, numeration, and the system of whole numbers, integers and rational numbers are considered. Requirements include knowing what mathematics is expected of and taught to K-6 learners. Mathematics is taught as an integrated and continuous curriculum.

Full course description for Math for Elementary Teachers

This course includes an examination of the process of second language acquisition and strategies for teaching English Language Learners (ELL) subject matter content in urban K-12 classrooms. Prospective teachers will learn how to modify mainstream course materials and instructional strategies so that ELL students can engage in course content while simultaneously developing their English language skills. Course activities and expectations include demonstrating teaching strategies; developing lesson modifications; evaluating textbooks and other materials and resources available in the field; and examining issues in testing students of limited English proficiency for placement, diagnosis, exit, and evaluation. There is a requirement of a 10-hour field experience in urban setting involving classroom participant-observations and working with an ELL student.

Full course description for Teaching and Assessing English Language Learners

This course will review development of children grades 1-6 and connect development to the practices used to design programs for grade 1-6 children in urban classrooms. Urban teacher candidates will learn appropriate curriculum and instructional strategies for the presentation of a program which integrates development, skills, and content knowledge in individualized, culturally respectful manners for diverse urban learners. Prospective urban teachers will develop learning plans for grades 1-6 language arts, mathematics, social studies and science and have opportunities to assess their plans as part of a holistic, child-centered curriculum. The rationale and strategies for developmentally appropriate guidance will also be learned. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Urban Grades 1-6 Curriculum and Practicum

This course explores the fundamentals of reading instruction. The course provides Early Childhood and pre service k-6 teachers with knowledge of the foundations of the reading and writing process, strategies and curriculum materials to support reading and writing instruction, assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction, and create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing.

Full course description for Foundations of Teaching Reading in Urban Grades K-6

This course presents an in-depth study of the predominant current philosophies and methodologies of Early Childhood and Elementary reading instruction. Emphasis will be placed on the critical elements in literacy development. These elements are: phonemic awareness, phonic instruction, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension. Current organizational procedures and foundations of reading instruction will be presented. Special consideration is given to effective practices and adapting instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Full course description for Methods of Teaching Reading in Urban Grades K-6

This advanced pre-student teaching practicum is designed to give urban teacher candidates the opportunity to document and reflect upon at least 60 hours practical clinical experience in an urban middle school or high school classroom within their subject area of licensure. Requirements include teaching at least 3 lessons in their licensure area to a whole class of students, but most of the clinical field experience hours and active classroom involvement will be determined by field-based assignments required in other Education courses and the cooperating urban school teacher hosting the practicum. Successful completion of this practicum is a prerequisite for student teaching. Requirements include attendance and participation in periodic seminars to help prospective urban teacher candidates reflect upon their field experiences, and prepare for student teaching.

Full course description for Advanced Urban Teaching Practicum and Seminar

This course provides pre-service Early Childhood and Elementary teachers with the theoretical foundations and practical skills necessary to become reflective professionals who can design and implement effective language arts instruction for economically, academically, culturally, racially and linguistically diverse children. The course emphasizes the social constructivist perspective of reading and writing development which includes the importance of the total learning environment - school, home and community.

Full course description for Methods of Teaching Language Arts in Urban Grades K-6

This course encourages the pedagogies of reflective teaching, constructivism, and teaching for social justice and social change. Students will be introduced to current theories and research that examine effective teaching and meaningful learning in the elementary social studies. Urban teacher candidates will review content in various social studies disciplines while preparing to teach national, state, and local district social studies standards. Students will practice and model instructional strategies that encourage the development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. Students will use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and help foster the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner. Urban elementary field experiences are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Social Studies Curriculum and Differentiated Methods in Urban Grades K-6

This course explores historical, cultural, and sociological foundations of urban education in the United States. Core concepts include democracy and education, educational equity for all students and historical as well as contemporary relationships between school and society. Emphasis is on issues of power and the educational segregation and attempted deculturalization of historically marginalized groups. Resilience and persistent struggles for equal educational opportunity in the face of oppression are also emphasized from diverse cultural perspectives. Philosophical, legal, cultural and ethical perspectives about education are explored as students develop critical awareness of issues to further develop their own philosophies of urban education. The community is a resource for cross-cultural inquiry and learning about the educational strengths and challenges faced by diverse groups living in urban areas. Students gain understanding of the contributions and lifestyles of various…

Full course description for Historical and Cultural Foundations of Urban Education

This course provides students with the knowledge and experience of intermediate and middle school mathematics to be an effective teacher in urban, multicultural classrooms. The content of this math methods course emphasizes the interconnectedness of curriculum, instruction and assessment. The overarching philosophical framework for this course is the social justice perspective of mathematics education particularly for urban students. Field experience in an intermediate or middle school mathematics classroom is required. Prerequisites for Mathematics Teaching majors: EDU 300 Assessment of Learning and Teaching in Urban Grades 5-12 and EDU 306 Urban Middle School and High School Methods and at least 24 credits of Math courses required for the Mathematics Teaching major. Prerequisite for Urban Elementary Education majors: MATH 106 Math for Elementary Teachers AND one of the following: MATH 110 Math for Liberal Arts OR MATH 115 College Algebra OR STAT 201 Statistics I. Corequisite…

Full course description for Teaching Mathematics to Urban Learners in Grades K-8

This course prepares prospective teachers in the Metropolitan State University Urban Teacher Program to teach science in urban kindergarten to grade 6. The course will examine methods and content standards for teaching science to students in grades k-6. Included in this course is the examination of factors affecting achievement among urban learners historically underserved in science education including young girls and children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Teacher candidates will learn approaches for enhancing instruction to improve standards-based academic achievement among urban learners. Participants will develop skills in lesson planning, instructional strategies, leading inquiry activities and assessing learning in all areas of the K-6 science scope and sequence. Urban elementary field experiences are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Science Curriculum and Differentiated Instruction in Urban Grades K-6

This course is designed to prepare prospective early childhood education and elementary teachers to teach and assess young children with disabilities in urban settings. Teacher candidates are introduced to the nature and type of young children with disabilities in the context of urban schools. Formal and informal assessment strategies are addressed as well as strategies for integrating children with disabilities into the early childhood and elementary classroom. Specific areas of focus include the nature of disabilities among culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners, instructional individualization, and communication with parents. Issues discussed include funding, professional ethics, and legal implications for professionals, students, and family. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Teaching and Assessing Children with Disabilities Birth-Grade 6

Required culminating clinical field experience with children and a cooperating classroom teacher in an urban elementary grades (K-6) classroom for urban teacher candidates seeking elementary education licensure. Placement is for a minimum of twelve full-time weeks based on teacher candidate's Individualized Student Teaching Plan that is developed with and approved by the teacher candidate's advisor and the Field Experience Coordinator the semester prior to student teaching. Weekly reflections, periodic seminars with other student teachers, and the development of a standards-based e-folio are also required.

Full course description for Student Teaching in the Urban Elementary School K-6

This course is an introduction to formal and informal assessment strategies and their application to work with young children. The emphasis is on observing, recording and using authentic performance-based assessment, communicating assessment results to colleagues and parents, and applying assessment data to curriculum planning.

Full course description for Observing and Assessing Young Children: Birth Through Age Five

This course addresses the developmentally appropriate strategies to support learning of socially appropriate classroom behaviors for young children. Strategies examined for the course support social development, personal values and citizenship. The developmental and philosophical rationale for selection of behavior guidance strategies and practices are the foundational focus of the course. Students address the differences between discipline, classroom management and positive behavior guidance with particular focus on the cultural and contextual experiences of children in urban communities.

Full course description for Positive Behavior Guidance

This course will cover the normal development of skills and understandings necessary for a young child to learn to read and write. The individual nature of readiness and the differences in children's approaches to learning to read and write will be a focus of the course. The instructional strategies and materials that constitute a developmentally and culturally appropriate reading and language arts program for young urban children will be presented and used in practice sessions. The important role of multicultural literature in an emergent literacy curriculum for diverse urban children from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and families will be emphasized. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.

Full course description for Emergent Literacy in Urban Early Childhood Education