The following vignette, which also appears in the Michigan Science Education Guidebook and Michigan Curriculum Framework, illustrates in some ways the Michigan Standards for Teaching and Learning . However, all of that work is central to teaching. This vignette is a composite of real experiences in several classrooms.
Names are fictitious.
In it, students are working with a unit developed by Michigan teachers based on Content Standards and Benchmarks and designed to illustrate the goals for scientific literacy . The unit is part of the New Directions series and is used by teachers across the state, in classes that range from general science to high school biology to adult education. Many regional Mathematics and Science Centers provide workshops on this and other New Directions units. Ninth graders in Mrs. Lapham's General Science class are studying a unit called Food, Energy and Growth. Last week they collected data on various foods by testing them in the chemistry lab to identify carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.