The goal of “Cal Teach Science – Middle School” is to introduce prospective science teachers to the field of middle school education and the teaching and learning of science in middle school classrooms. Students involved in this course will participate in a 2 unit Pass/No Pass seminar (Science Educations 10XP) in addition to a 20-hour per quarter internship in one of our partner middle schools.

Seminar information:

Students will enroll in Science Educations 10XP (formerly 10SL), a 2-unit Pass/No Pass seminar taught on UCLA’s campus. Through this seminar, students are introduced to inquiry-based learning practices, National and California standards, reading and learning differences in children, and the cognitive ability of middle school-age children as it relates to the introduction of concepts, curricular planning, classroom management, and learning assessment.

 

 

 

Internship information:

In combination with the seminar, students participate in a 2.5-3 hour per week (20 hour per quarter) internship. The internship allows you to apply the theory from the seminar into a middle school setting. Pairs of students are placed in local middle school classrooms to observe, participate, and assist a Mentor Teacher. The culminating project is to teach your own lesson plan, created in the seminar and based on California standards, during your internship. The internship is scheduled based on your availability and is scheduled Monday-Friday between ~8am and ~3pm.

We have several partner middle schools (Emerson Community School, New West Charter School, Lincoln Middle School). All of our partner schools are accessible via a single Big Blue Bus ride. It is not a requirement to have a car to get to your internship site. We do not provide nor reimburse for transportation.

 

 

 

 

Prerequisite:

You must be making normal progress towards a degree in a science related field. Other majors are welcome to apply and your eligibility is based on the amount of science classes you have completed.  

 

How to Apply?

You need to fill out a short online application in order to receive permission to enroll in the seminar though MyUCLA. Once accepted into the seminar,  we will send you a PTE number that will enable you to enroll in the course.

In our main menu, go to "Apply" and choose "Online Applications" from the drop down menu. In "Course Applications" page, select link for the quarter and course of interest.

Note that you may need to provide proof of negative TB status, proof of covid vaccination, and weekly negative covid tests prior to visiting a school.

You must be in good academic standing to enroll in a course as pass/ no pass - see UCLA Academic Regulations..

Please contact the Cal Teach staff at cateach@chem.ucla.edu with any questions. 

Please check the UCLA Schedule of Classes or contact cateach@chem.ucla.edu for the most up-to-date information on when the course is offered during the academic year.