Anna Leiss
Science Teacher
Standard 1: Content Knowledge
I demonstrate a rich, thorough understanding of the content and skill knowledge, theories, and issues comprising my disciplines.
Effectively teaching science starts with a strong foundation of the content. I am certified to teach biology and agriculture at the secondary level and am prepared to do so due to my education and professional background.
I have always had an interest in science and, in high school, developed an interest specifically in the environmental sciences. This interest was piqued in part because of the variety of courses offered at my school including AP Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, and my involvement on the Envirothon Team. At the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), I studied Natural History and Interpretation, which is part of the Environmental and Forest Biology department. Throughout my undergraduate experience, I practiced balancing making connections between the world of science and the public. I acquired a strong basis of content knowledge so that I could effectively elucidate the patterns and relationships found in nature.
Although my specialty lies in environmental science, I maintain the skills necessary to teach a variety of science disciplines due to the experiences I gained in my graduate and early teaching experience. Over the past 3 years, I have taught an integrated science curriculum. An integrated science in California means that I have taught biology, physics, chemistry, and earth sciences using Next Generation Science Standards.
Artifacts
Coursework at SUNY-ESF
As a Natural History and Interpretation major, I had the opportunity to study science courses such as Ecology of Mosses, Ichthyology, Botany and Zoology in addition to communication and interpretation courses. My undergraduate experience required its majors in the Environmental and Forest Biology department to first have a strong base in sciences including biology, chemistry, and physics before taking the major-specific classes that covered communication techniques.
Interdisciplinary Maple Unit
This unit was developed collaboratively between myself and preservice chemistry and physics teachers. The unit was designed with high-school students in mind who were taking an elective or terminal science class. The main focus of the unit was on maple sugaring and encompassed biology, chemistry, and physics topics. Each lesson incorporated a reaching and a hands-on component and included literacy strategies for these students. The unit required a strong content background in maple sugaring in order to ensure the most important information was communicated effectively to the students.
Hog Island Experience
In the summer of 2014, I participated in a week-long professional development camp on an island off the coast of Maine hosted by the National Audubon Society. The week was a hands-on experience designed for educators in both the informal and formal realm. I got the opportunity to study marine ecology, birds, geology, entomology, and astronomy.