The E Word

Loresa Loftin is concerned that there's not enough space science in the standards in the elementary level.  The planets and solar system aren't mentioned.  Students need to develop an understanding of the universe.  She said some 5th graders think the moon shrinks when it's waning, and that man has walked on the sun and Mars.

Board thinks it was supposed to have been moved from 3rd to 4th grade.  Loftin doesn't believe that happened.  They left it undetermined...

Helen Holdsworth, Tx Wildlife Assoc

We need to foster a basic literacy of natural resources, to face the problems we create every day.  We need to create a legacy of stewardship and conservation, with science based education, so the children today can be knowledgeable leaders tomorrow.

Lorna Shepherd

2ndary sci coor for middle school sci

Vertically aligning the standards is very difficult, especially when there are 'danglers' - standards that don't obviously tie in with other disciplines.

Simple machines are gone from the standards.  Bring them back.

There is also concern across the state with equipment cost.

B adds the cost and knowledge to maintain that equipment as well.

Royal Smith

phd north texas psych

Sees the conflict as dogmatic censorship (the sci) vs. intelligent questioning (the rel)

He quotes Darwin that we should explore evidence against macro evol.

He quotes Einstein "one must not conceal any part of what one recognizes to be true".

Mercer clarifies micro evol as small changes we see happening all around us every day. Everyone agrees with that.

Macro evol is about the tree of life, common anscestors, and primates as our ancestors - the transformation of species.  Not everyone agrees with that.

Smith  "90% of the genes in chimps are human, but I dont' think that would get you child support from Texas"  Truly funny!

Teaching strengths and weaknesses will generate good thinking and questioning.  It will generate those hypothesis that will contribute to good scientific investigation.

He does not think teaching 'analyze and evaluate' is the same as teaching 'strengths and weaknesses'.    He thinks dogmatic evolutionists will not allow questioning of those who do not believe in evolution.

B  Do you consider the gaps (missing transitional fossils) to be a weakness in evol?

Smith To me there is no evidence in the fossil record of transmutation of species.

B  Sci see missing fossil transitions as incompleteness and uncertainty but not a weakness of the theory.