Middle Grades Education Major
The middle-grades (MG) education major leads to the Bachelor of Science degree and prepares teachers for certification in grades 4-8. The middle-grades teacher must have a broad general education in addition to a knowledge of the techniques and materials needed to teach many different subjects.
Students majoring in middle-grades education are required to choose a primary concentration and a secondary concentration in addition to the professional-education courses. The primary concentration will be chosen from the areas of language arts, science, social studies or mathematics. The secondary concentration will be selected from one of the three areas not chosen for the primary.
Some courses satisfying general-education requirements may also satisfy primary and secondary concentrations; however, courses satisfying professional education or the major may not be counted again in the concentration. Each concentration must consist of at least 15 hours and a content pedagogy course. It is suggested that middle-grades majors have a faculty mentor in their area of primary concentration in addition to their education advisor.
Required Professional Courses
| EDU 102 | Orientation to Teacher Education | 1-0-1 | |
| EDU 204* | Introduction to Applied Linguistics | 3-0-3 | |
| EDU 206 | Foundations of Education and Psychology (Grades 4-12) | 3-2-4 | |
| | Exploration in Diverse Cultures Seminar | 1-0-0 | |
| EDU 222 | Exploration in Diverse Cultures | 1-4-3 | |
| EDU 260* | Technology Application for Educators | 3-0-3 | |
| EDU 331 I | Middle Grades Literacy Instruction | 4-0-4 | |
| EDU 375 I | Curriculum and Methods for the Young Adolescent Learner | 2-2-3 | |
| EDU 376 | Methods and Curriculum for Middle Grades | 3-2-4 | |
| EDU 405 | Instructional Management | 2-0-2 | |
| EDU 430 | Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3-0-3 | |
| EDU 489 | Senior Practicum | 2 hours | |
| EDU 490 | Professional Seminar | 1-0-1 | |
| EDU 495 | Teaching English as a Second Language: Methods and Materials | 3-0-3 | |
| EDU 499 | Student Teaching | 9 hours | |
| MAT 220 | Mathematics for Teachers (P-8) | 3-0-3 | |
| PSY 434 | Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children and Youth | 3-0-3 | |
| | Total 51 hours | |
| *Course effective Fall 2013 |
Concentration Areas (choose one primary and one secondary as
described above). | 36 hours |
| Language Arts Concentration Requirements: | 18 hours |
| COM 201 | Mass Communication and Society | 3-0-3 |
| EDU 330 | Language Arts for Middle Grades | 4-0-4 |
| ENG 427 | Young Adult Literature | 3-0-3 |
| | One course in writing from among the following: | |
| ENG 301 | Introduction to Creative Writing: Poetry | 3-0-3 |
| ENG 302 | Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction | 3-0-3 |
| ENG 303 I | Advanced Rhetoric and Writing | 3-0-3 |
| | Six additional hours in ENG or COM | 6 hours |
| | |
| Science Concentration Requirements | 18 hours |
| Students will complete EDU 341 and one sequence of the following courses: |
| BIO 111 * | Principles of Cell Biology | 3-2-4 |
| BIO 202 | Principles of Zoology | 3-2-4 |
| BIO 215 | Principles of Microbiology and Botany | 3-2-4 |
| EDU 341 | Science for Middle Grades Education | 3-0-3 |
| GEO 101 * | Physical Geology and | 3-2-4 |
| GEO 102 | Historical Geology | 3-2-4 |
| PHY 111 * | General Physics I with Algebra and | 3-2-4 |
| PHY 112 | General Physics II with Algebra or | 3-2-4 |
| PHY 211 * | General Physics I with Calculus and | 3-2-4 |
| PHY 212 | General Physics II with Calculus | 3-2-4 |
Students must also take one course in each of the other two disciplines or chemistry for a total of four courses representing three different areas of science for a minimum total of 15 hours.
*May require additional mathematics pre-requisites.
| Social Science Concentration Requirements: | 18 hours | |
| | Integrated Arts and Cultures for Middle Grades | 3-0-3 | |
| HIS 154 | World History to 1550 | 3-0-3 | |
| HIS 155 | World History Since 1550 | 3-0-3 | |
| HIS 205 | American History to 1877 | 3-0-3 | |
| SOC 335 | Social Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender or | 3-0-3 | |
| | GOV 300-level course | 3 hours | |
| | Three additional hours in ECO or GOV | 3 hours | |
| | | | |
| Mathematics Concentration Requirements | 18 hours | |
| MAT 120 | Precalculus | 4-0-4 | |
| MAT 145 | Applied Calculus or | 3-0-3 | |
| MAT 201 | Calculus I | 4-0-4 | |
| MAT 220 | Mathematics for Teachers P-8 | 3-0-3 | |
| MAT 324 | Geometry for the Middle Grades | 3-0-3 | |
| MAT 340* | Methods for Middle Grades and Secondary Mathematical Instruction | 3-0-3 | |
| Three additional hours in MAT | 3 hours | |
*Course effective Fall 2013 |