SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

EDGEWOOD CAMPUS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION

Science Toolbox
EDNS111
Module Outline 2023
Semester One

This module is the first of four content modules in the senior phase Natural Sciences Learning Area.
All students registered for this module must be registered for the Senior and FET phase specialisation with an
FET specialisation in either Biological Sciences or Physical Sciences. As such, the entrance requirement for
this module is a grade 12 pass at 60% or higher in the corresponding grade 12 subject, as well as a pass in
core Mathematics at grade 12 level.

As an introductory module, the aim of this module is to enable preservice teachers to develop the skills
required to engage meaningfully in the study of Natural Sciences in the senior phase. Thus, the module
content has been selected to provide some of the foundational knowledge and skills from the discipline areas
of biology, physics and chemistry. This module will be taught by academic staff from the three disciplines.

The FET Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences content modules will build on the relevant skills and
knowledge that are developed within the Natural Sciences content modules. As such, the knowledge, skills
and competences that are developed in this, and other Natural Sciences content modules, will be required in
subsequent content modules in both Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences. Thus, you are advised to keep
all materials that are distributed and used in the Natural Sciences modules for future reference.

This module consists of both theory and practical sessions, and attendance at ALL the sessions below is
compulsory:

Type of Session TT Block Day Time Venues

*
Practicals 7 Monday 13:00 – 16:05 F101, F104, F105 or online via Learn2023
Lecture 5 Tuesday 13:00 – 14:30 LT7
Lecture 5 Wednesday 8:00 – 9:35 LT7
Lecture 5 Thursday 15:20 – 16:55 LT7

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 Lecturer Details & Contact Information

 The co-ordinator for the module, and lecturer for the physics topics is:
Mrs Mary-Anne Good
Telephone: 072 390 0188 (both regular calls/SMS and WhatsApp)
Email: [email protected]

 The lecturer for the literacy aspects is:

Professor Angela James (Academic Leader: Community Engagement)
Telephone: 031-260 3438
Email: [email protected]

 The lecturer for the life sciences topics is:

Dr Friederike A Voigt
Telephone: n/a
Email: [email protected]

 The lecturer for the chemistry topics is:

Mr Abayomi David Folawewo
Telephone: 062-454-5535,
Email: [email protected]

Learn2023

Learn2023 is our Moodle site which can be found at: https://learn2023.ukzn.ac.za. All electronic resources
such as ‘notes’, tutorial solutions, online practical resources including instructions, report ‘sheets’, computer
simulations and relevant videos (or links to these) are included on the website.
An ‘Announcements’ forum is provided where ALL administrative notices about the module will be posted,
including information about lectures and tutorial sessions, practical activities and other formative and
summative assessments. All notices posted to these forums are automatically emailed to all registered
students in the module using your UKZN student email address.
Please ensure that you access the system regularly, as activities and resources relevant to the topics you will
be studying will be added as the module progresses.

Textbooks

Although printed and online materials may be provided for most of the topics in the module, you should also
be accessing suitable textbooks to supplement what is provided through these resources. The following
textbooks are recommended for this and subsequent natural sciences modules, and may also be used for the
content modules in life sciences and physical sciences.

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 Discipline Textbook(s) Modules that it can be used for
th
Title: Biology (11 edition)
Author: Solomon et al. (2019)
Publisher: Boston, MA: Cengage
NS1: Science Toolbox
Title: Biology (10th edition). NS3: Life and Living
Life Author: Solomon et al. (2015) BS1: Diversity of Life
Sciences/ Publisher: Boston, MA: Cengage BS2: Biological Systems 1
Biology BS3: Biological Systems 2
Title: Biology: A global approach (Global
BS4: Ecological Studies
edition - preferably the 11th edition)
BS5: Genetics and Mechanisms of Evolution
Authors: Campbell et al. (2015) Publisher:
San Francisco: Pearson

Title: Introductory Chemistry: Concepts

and Critical Thinking (6th Edition)
Author: Charles H. Corwin
NS1: Science Toolbox
Title: Conceptual Chemistry NS2: Foundational Concepts in Physical Sciences
Chemistry
Author: J Suchocki PS1: Foundational Chemistry
Title: Conceptual Physical Science
Authors: Hewitt, P.G., Suchocki, J. &
Hewitt L.A.
Title: Physics ( 7th edition) NS1: Science Toolbox
Author: Douglas, C Giancoli NS2: Foundational Concepts in Physical Sciences
NS4: Energy & Change
PS3: Mechanics & Waves
Physics PS4: Electricity & Atomic Structure
PS5: Further Topics in Physical Sciences
Title: Conceptual Physical Science NS1: Science Toolbox
Authors: Hewitt, P.G., Suchocki, J. & NS2: Foundational Concepts in Physical Sciences
Hewitt L.A. NS4: Energy & Change

Try to purchase the textbooks that you will need for your FET specialisation this year, and then you can
photocopy the chapters from the books that you will only be using for Natural Sciences. So all Physical
Sciences FET students should purchase Giancoli. The textbooks listed under chemistry and biology are all
recommended books. You are at liberty to purchase one that you prefer and understand best. However, you
are advised to consult a variety of textbooks for your benefit.

Module Content, Planner and Lecturer Information

Please note the time frames given below are approximate and subject to change where necessary. The
‘Announcements’ forum included on our Learn2023 course site will be used to notify you of any changes to
the planned programme, as well as to provide additional information related to the organisation of the

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module. Announcements posted here will also be emailed to your UKZN student email account, so check
these regularly.

Weeks & Dates Topics

2, 3, 4, 5 Physics
 Mathematical skills, including measurement and graphing
20 February – 17 March  Light – Nature, Reflection, Refraction (geometrical optics)
Safety videos & Quiz (Online)
Practical 1: Measurement & Uncertainty (27 February)
Practical 2: Graphical Analysis – Mass & Volume (6 March)
Practical 3: Optics (13 March)
Summative Test 1 (Friday, 24 March)
2, 3 Literacy
21, 28 February  Reading scientific texts
 Meaning-making strategies- summaries, concept maps, flow diagrams
Assessment Tasks: Details to be confirmed
6, 7, 8 Life Sciences
20 March – 6 April  The use of the microscope
(Midterm break)  The cell as the basic unit of life
 The geologic timescale and its importance in understanding evolution
 Evolution as the unifying theme in Biology
9, 10
 Classification in Biology
17 – 26 April
Practical tasks: Details to be confirmed (27 March; 3, 17, 24 April)
Summative Test 2 (Friday, 28 April)
11, 12, 13, 14 Chemistry
2 – 24 May  Particle theory
 Atomic structure and the concept of models in chemistry
 Electronic configuration
Practical tasks: Details to be confirmed (8, 15 May)
Summative Test 3 (24 May)

Process skills and problem solving will be integrated into the above topics where appropriate and are thus
developed throughout the module.

Tutorial problems and/or tasks may be assigned for each of the above topics from textbooks, or provided on
Learn2023 or as handouts for formative assessment. Although these may not always be submitted for
marking, completion and checking thereof is essential, as it will impact on your performance in tests and the
examination. Answers and/or solutions are provided on the Science Toolbox course site on Learn2023 for
you to refer to.

Some learning resources and activities will be on our Learn2023 course site, so visit this frequently and
complete the required activities.

Module Assessment

The assessment for the module includes both formative and summative assessment tasks, some of which
may be conducted online in Learn2023, while others will completed in a controlled environment on campus.

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Formative assessment consists of tests, activities, tasks and practicals, all of which are COMPULSORY. If you
are absent for one without appropriate documentation (doctor’s note), then you will be given a mark of
ZERO.
Your course mark will be determined by combining these formative assessments as follows:
Tests (50%) + Practical reports/activities/tasks (50%)

Submission of work: ALL work must be submitted by the due date. These dates, as well as test dates will be
negotiated as far as is reasonably possible. Late submissions will incur a penalty at 10% per day, so
approach the lecturer before the due date if you are experiencing problems with any assignment/report. If
you are ill on a due date, then the work must be submitted as soon as you return to campus. In this case you
will not be penalized provide that you provide a valid doctors’/hospital/clinic certificate as proof of illness.

Examination - A single 3 hour examination will be written in May/June, and will consist of both theory and
practical components. A subminimum mark of 40% for the examination is required to pass the module.
The final mark for the module is determined by combining your course mark and examination mark in the
following ratio:
Course mark - 50% Exam mark – 50%

According the University policy:–

 A student must obtain a course mark of 40% or higher in order to qualify to write the examination. (A
course record below 40% will result in a DP refusal.) Please aim to perform at a higher standard than this
minimum, as students with course marks below 50% usually fail the examination and hence the module.
 A student will pass the module if they obtain a final result of 50% or more. However, to continue into
your FET specialisation of either Biology or Physical Sciences, you should ideally be obtaining above 60%
in this module.
 A supplementary will be granted for a final result between 40% and 49%. The mark for the
supplementary examination replaces the original examination mark in the calculation of the final module
mark.

Requirements and Rules for Lectures & Tutorials

All students are expected to attend all lectures as non-attendance is one of the primary factors that lead to
student failure in any module. We do understand that there are legitimate reasons for occasionally missing a
lecture (eg. illness, bereavement, religious days, traffic congestion etc), and it is your responsibility to notify
the module coordinator (Mrs Good) in writing as soon as possible as to the reason for any extended or
recurring absences. You can either email Mrs Good or drop a note off at her office. Please ensure that your
student number and full name are included in your note/email.

If you miss more than 25% of lectures/practicals (even for legitimate reasons) then you may be refused a DP
(duly performed certificate), and will then not be allowed to write the examination, which means that you
automatically fail the module.

All students are expected to come to lectures on time to avoid disrupting lectures. You are advised to come
to lectures with exam pads (or any similar material) and pens/pencils to take notes. A calculator is also

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essential for the physics sessions. Textbooks and printed material should be read both before and after
lectures for the purposes of preparation and consolidation respectively.

Students are permitted limited use of laptops, tablets/iPads, cell phones in class, provided that it is restricted
to activities to enhance teaching or learning in this module (eg. for taking notes, recording the lecture –
personal use only, or accessing the course site on Moodle or other online resources). All other use is
prohibited as you are expected to be focussed on understanding the content of the lecture. Communication
services (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Whatsup, etc.) are prohibited, and cell phones should be on mute, or
turned off during lectures. You are not entitled to answer your cell phone during a lecture – most calls are
not emergencies and can wait.

It is every student’s personal responsibility to sign any lecture registers either before, during or immediately
after a lecture. Registers MUST also be signed during tests – this acts as proof that you were present in case
of queries. You may also be required to sign for any printed materials that are provided in the module.
You will be considered ABSENT if:
(a) You do not sign the register for that lecture (even if you were present!)
(b) Someone else signs for you (this is fraud and is not acceptable behaviour).

Requirements and Rules for Practical Work

Practical activities may be completed in the laboratory, in the campus gardens, or in a tutorial/lecture venue
as appropriate. Details of the actual venues and timeslots will be confirmed before each practical session.

Arrive for all practical sessions on time. You will be working in small groups during your practicals. Arriving
late is not only disrespectful to your group members, but you will also miss out on essential instructions that
are given at the start of the session which will impact negatively on your skills development and
understanding of the activity.

Working collaboratively in groups during a practical means that you work together to (a) understand the
concepts that you are investigating, (b) develop your understanding of, and individual ability to carry out
procedures and use apparatus, (c) understand how the data is to be recorded and analysed. It does NOT
mean that you submit one group report (unless actually instructed to do so), or that everyone in the group
submits identical reports. Everyone must complete the analysis and questions individually so that your
report reflects YOUR PERSONAL understanding and not that of another group member! Copying the work
of others is plagiarism, so please familiarise yourself with the UKZN policy on this issue.

Make sure that you sign the register if you attend and complete a practical session and that you submit your
report on time. Other students may NOT sign on your behalf, and you may not submit a report for a
practical that you have not physically done yourself. You are expected to stay until the end of each session,
and may only leave earlier if you have completed and submitted your report.

Many reports will need to be submitted at the end of the practical session, so learn to work effectively and
efficiently in the laboratory. Reading through the instructions for the practical and the relevant theory

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BEFORE the practical session will help you prepare for these activities. Do not be afraid to ask questions
during the session if there is something that you do not understand.

Due to safety concerns the following rules regarding your clothing/appearance must be adhered to:
(a) Flat, and preferably closed shoes should be worn during all practical sessions.
(b) Clothing should be comfortable and conservative to allow for easy movement – no extremely short
or tight skirts/dresses/pants that restrict movement.
(c) Do not wear clothing with loose/flowy sleeves that could catch on apparatus and become damaged
or damage apparatus when they drop.
(d) Laboratory coats are compulsory for biology and chemistry practicals, but are optional for physics
practicals.
(e) Safety googles are required for chemistry practicals.
(f) Long hair must be tied back away from your face and the apparatus in the laboratory.

When working in the laboratory, bags must be left either at the back or the front of the laboratory or any
allocated room as they are NOT allowed on the work benches/tables. Only your stationery, calculator,
notes, and practical instructions/report sheets/booklets are generally allowed on the workbenches. Please
do not hesitate to bring relevant reference materials to the practical sessions for referral whenever there is a
need.

No food or drink is allowed in the laboratories.

Cell phones should not be used in the laboratory (unless required by the nature of the practical task eg. as a
timer/stopwatch).

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