This project will develop and implement the second semester of a newly conceived integrated science course for elementary education majors. This one-year course includes topics from chemistry, earth science, and biology in the first semester, and topics from physics, astronomy and meteorology in the second semester. The principal objective of the course is to prepare students to teach science in the elementary schools. Thus, the lectures rely heavily on demonstrations and the explanation of natural phenomena through what is termed a "discrepancy approach". A major innovative feature of this project is the heavy emphasis on laboratory experiences. In the lab, the prospective teachers perform hands-on activities which they will utilize in the future in their own elementary classrooms.
