The six unifying principles (organized into units) that will be taught during this course are: Evolution; Homeostasis; Energy, Matter and Organization; Continuity; Development; and Ecology.
Students will be exploring these topics through the "5E's" instructional model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. This instructional model allows students and teachers to experience common activities by using and building on prior knowledge and experience. Resulting in the students ability to construct meaning of the content and access their understanding of a concept continually.
Cooperative and collaborative learning styles are used as strategies to decrease students dependence on the teacher as the sole repository of information which increases the students responsibility for their own learning.
Students will maintain a workbook throughout the coarse as a key piece of developing conceptual continuity.
