This course is a graduate-level science content course designed for pre-service and in-service K-12 science teachers and contextualized to the standards/inquiry-based curricula found in the Massachusetts state curriculum standards. It provides graduate-level content while modeling sound pedagogy and aims to connect the different science disciplines through the concept of energy. Using current and future curriculum materials, as well as State and National standards for the teaching of science at the middle school level, this course offers an in-depth exploration of fundamental principles of energy as they relate to biological, physical, chemical, and earth sciences. Special emphasis will be placed on the interdisciplinary relationships among these topics so that energy can be used to integrate across the disciplinary sciences. Students will be exposed to the current state of knowledge in the scientific community through laboratory activities, outside readings, classroom presentations, and in-depth discussions with classmates. Students will participate in hands-on, inquiry based exercises drawn from National science standards-based middle school instructional materials which will allow them to review these teaching materials and methods, as well as develop research-based strategies for communicating with students, especially English language learners and students with other special needs.

The University of Massachusetts-Boston will grant 3 semester hours of graduate credit for satisfactory completion of this course.  Teachers wishing to receive a stipend for the course MUST take the course for graduate credit through UMass-Boston. Teachers from all districts may pay for this course with a check in the amount of $305 (made out to UMass-Boston) on the first day of class, or elect to be billed by the university directly.

Under the new stipend policy in effect for Boston teachers, teachers from BPS will receive a stipend of $600 for satisfactory completion of this course for graduate credit. This stipend amount will be issued by BPS and placed directly into your paycheck as a line item once you have received a final grade in the course. Non-Boston teachers are eligible to earn stipends of $600.  This stipend amount will be issued by the GNNSP grant sponsoring non-Boston teachers.  NOTE:  All students MUST take the course for graduate credit (Boston Public Schools teachers will receive up to 60 PDPs as well, pro-rated based upon attendance).

In order to receive graduate credit for this course, participants may not miss in excess of 8 instructional hours over the duration of the course.  Any hours missed up until this point must be cleared with the instructional team, and alternative arrangements must be made to make up the work if necessary.

A $50 non-refundable course registration fee is required to secure your position within the class. (Registration refunds are permitted with written cancellation before two weeks prior to the start of the course - August 31). Please make the check out to "UMass Boston" with the name of the course and your e-mail address in the memo line.