Introduction
- Safety
- Video resources
- Print, human, and site resources
Science: A Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level contains both core and optional units for each grade level, and objectives which define the scope of each unit. That document specifies the science curriculum for the Middle Level. To support those units and the planning which must be done to achieve the objectives, this document correlates key print and video resources to each unit. Full citations for the resources can be found in Science: A Bibliography for the Middle Level. Titles and distributor codes for all resources listed in this Bulletin are found on page one.
This document does not indicate what must be covered, nor does it restrict the choice of resources to support the units to those listed here. Rather, these resource suggestions are meant to provide a pool of ideas from which a creative, activity-based science program can be created. Resource-based learning is a goal that this Information Bulletin and the Science: A Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level seek to promote.
Safety
Under current Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) regulations, all employees involved in handling hazardous substances must receive training for such handling from their employer. For more information contact your school division office or:
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
250 Main Street East
Hamilton, ON L8N 1H6
or:
Saskatchewan Labour
Occupational Health and Safety Branch
1870 Albert Street
Regina S4P 3V7
Video resources
Video series and episodes referenced in this Bulletin are available from Media House Productions, or from other Saskatchewan sources. MHP order numbers (V xxxx) are included with all video titles referenced, except those in the Minds On Science and Science Alive series. These series will be available starting in
May, 1993 from Media House Productions. Since this is after the publication deadline for this document, order numbers are not included.
Teacher guides and curriculum support material for many series are available from the Book Bureau. Consult the Audio-Visual Teacher Resource Materials order form. Many more titles than those listed in this document are available from Media House Productions. Use the Series Index or the Topical Index in the Media House catalog to help you find appropriate titles for use.
Many series produced for the PBS network in the USA give teachers permission to copy the episodes of their series from the air for use in the classroom. Such series are the National Geographic specials, Scientific American Frontiers, 3-2-1 Contact, and Space Age. Look for announcements in science teachers' magazines such as Science Scope and The Science Teacher for series that can be videotaped. Permission to videotape other series (NOVA from WGBH in Boston, for example) may also be obtained by writing to the originating station.
Print, human, and site resources
Print resources such as texts and resource centre materials used with the previous curriculum will still be useful as resources for this curriculum. Using life science, earth science, and physical science texts as class reference sets for process activities is encouraged.
Human resources are an important asset. Parents, community members, scientists from other centres and resource people from many organizations are often willing to participate in your science program and contribute their abilities. Investigate formal programs such as Innovators in the Schools, the A-STEP program, the Student Discovery Workshop series at the Saskatchewan Science Centre, the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association's school visits program, and Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
Visiting sites outside the classroom can spur students' interest in science and give students a chance to participate in doing science. Whether you just step outside the door to your school or go to visit the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History in Regina, working outside the classroom can be a motivating part of the science experience.