WGU C978: Science Methods"”Secondary Earth Science

Why C978 sits at the heart of your Earth Science teaching license

WGU C978, Science Methods—Secondary Earth Science, is the course where content knowledge turns into classroom practice. You take it after you have built a foundation in Earth science content and in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and it asks a focused question: can you design and teach standards-based Earth science lessons that hold together as real instruction? It sits in WGU's School of Education programs that lead to secondary Earth science licensure or endorsement, so most students here are already committed to teaching Earth and space science to middle or high school learners.

Direct answer: C978 is a performance assessment, not a proctored multiple-choice exam, so you pass by submitting instructional work that meets every point of the task rubric. Build your lessons around the three dimensions of science, weave in appropriate technology and assessment, complete the required laboratory safety training, and treat the rubric as your checklist rather than an afterthought.

Because it is project-based, C978 rewards clear, deliberate work over cramming. The evaluators reading your submission are looking for evidence that you understand how disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices fit together in a coherent Earth science lesson. If you can plan instruction that a real teacher could walk into a classroom and use, you are most of the way there.

What the C978 performance assessment covers

The competencies for this course are published in WGU's program materials, and they center on planning and delivering three-dimensional science instruction. Expect your work to touch each of these areas:

• Connecting the three dimensions of science: analyzing how disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices work together as you prepare and plan Earth science instruction.
• Integrating technology: using appropriate digital tools and resources to support student engagement and content mastery in science activities.
• Designing three-dimensional assessment: developing assessment strategies that measure three-dimensional learning so you can judge whether your teaching is working.
• Developing standards-based lessons: building lessons that integrate the three dimensions with applicable technologies to connect scientific concepts and observable phenomena.
• Laboratory safety: completing the required laboratory safety training and certification, including safe practices, procedures, and proper use of personal protective equipment for science classrooms.

Notice that the through-line is instruction, not Earth science trivia. You already proved your content mastery in earlier coursework; here the subject matter is teaching itself.

How hard is C978, and how long should you plan for?

C978 carries 3 competency units, which reflects its weight in the program. Many students report that the material is conceptually approachable, especially if their earlier methods and content courses are fresh, and that the real work is producing careful, rubric-aligned deliverables rather than absorbing difficult new theory. The most common frustration is not the Earth science but the writing: performance tasks send submissions back when a required element is thin or missing, so revisions cost time.

Plan for a few focused weeks rather than a single weekend. Because there is no fixed test date, your pace is your own, and students who set a small daily target tend to finish faster than those who wait for one large block of time. If it has been a while since you worked with the Next Generation Science Standards or three-dimensional lesson design, give yourself extra runway at the start to re-anchor those ideas.

A study and preparation plan built for a performance task

Traditional exam-cramming does not fit a submission-based course. Adapt your effort to the deliverable instead:

• Reverse-engineer the rubric first. Before writing a single lesson, read the task and rubric line by line and turn every "aspect" into a personal checklist. Active recall works here as self-quizzing: cover the rubric and try to restate each requirement in your own words.
• Anchor on a phenomenon. Strong Earth science lessons start with something observable and puzzling, such as seasonal patterns, plate boundaries, or the rock cycle. Choose a phenomenon early so your core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices all point at the same thing.
• Draft, then space your revisions. Write a first pass, step away, and return a day later with fresh eyes. Spaced review of your own draft catches the gaps evaluators would otherwise flag.
• Practice-test your lesson against a colleague or the rubric. Read your lesson as if you were the evaluator, or walk a peer through it, and mark anywhere the logic breaks. This is the performance-course equivalent of a practice exam.
• Finish laboratory safety early. The safety training and certification is a discrete, checkable requirement. Clear it up front so it never becomes the thing standing between you and submission.
• Use your course instructor. WGU course instructors can clarify expectations before you submit. A short conversation about a shaky section is cheaper than a full revision cycle.

If you want to see how sibling methods courses are structured, the guides for C975 Science Methods—Middle Grades General Science and C979 Science Methods—Secondary Physics share the same three-dimensional framework and can reinforce the pattern.

Common mistakes students make in C978

• Teaching content instead of designing instruction. Writing a mini-lecture on tectonics misses the point; the task wants a lesson plan with practices, concepts, and assessment woven in.
• Bolting on the three dimensions. Listing a crosscutting concept in a sidebar does not integrate it. Each dimension should shape what students actually do.
• Treating technology as decoration. A tool included only to check a box rarely satisfies the rubric; explain how it supports engagement or content mastery.
• Vague assessment. "I will give a quiz" is not a three-dimensional assessment strategy. Show how your assessment measures the science practices and concepts you taught.
• Skimming the rubric. Most returned submissions fail on a single unmet aspect, not on quality of ideas. Map every requirement before you write.
• Leaving lab safety for last. Forgetting the certification can hold up an otherwise finished submission.

Because assessment design is central here, the study guide for D184 Standards-Based Assessment is a useful companion for tightening how you measure student learning.

C978 Readiness Checklist

Before you submit, confirm you can honestly answer yes to each of these:

• Can you explain, in plain language, how disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices differ and how they combine in one lesson?
• Can you name the specific Earth science phenomenon your lesson is built around?
• Can you point to where each of the three dimensions shows up in what students actually do?
• Can you justify every technology choice by the engagement or learning it supports?
• Can you describe an assessment that measures three-dimensional learning, not just recall?
• Can you match each section of your submission to a specific aspect of the task rubric?
• Have you completed the laboratory safety training and certification?
• Have you read your lesson from an evaluator's perspective and fixed the weakest section?

C978 FAQ

Is C978 an objective assessment or a performance assessment?

It is a performance assessment. You demonstrate mastery by submitting instructional work, such as standards-based lesson plans and related materials, which WGU evaluators review against a rubric. There is no proctored multiple-choice exam.

How many competency units is C978 worth?

WGU's program materials list C978 as 3 competency units. Competency units describe the relative weight of a course rather than seat time, so plan your effort around the deliverables, not a fixed number of study hours.

How long does C978 usually take to finish?

There is no set completion window because it is self-paced. Many students report finishing in a few focused weeks, with most of the time going into drafting and revising the submission rather than learning new content. Steady daily progress tends to beat waiting for one large block of time.

Do I need to know a lot of Earth science content for this course?

You should already have your Earth science content foundation from earlier coursework. C978 is about how to teach it, so the emphasis is on lesson design, three-dimensional instruction, technology, and assessment rather than recalling facts about the planet.

What is the most common reason submissions get returned?

Usually a single rubric aspect is unmet or underdeveloped, not a weak idea overall. Mapping every requirement before you write, and checking your draft against the rubric afterward, prevents most revision cycles.

Is C978 the same as an Earth science content exam?

No. Content courses such as Earth Science: Content Knowledge test what you know about the subject. C978 is a methods course that assesses how you plan and teach that content, which is why it uses a performance task instead of a knowledge exam.

Keep building your teaching program

C978 is one milestone in a licensure pathway, and it pairs naturally with the other education courses you will meet along the way. You can explore the full School of Education guide hub for related methods and assessment courses, browse every guide in our complete course index, or review WGU's official Secondary Earth Science education program for the authoritative program details. Approach the performance task as a piece of real teaching, hold your work to the rubric, and you will be ready to submit with confidence.