Science. Philosophy. Goals

Transcription

1 Science Philosophy The elementary Science program of Fulton County Schools embraces the philosophy and premise of the Georgia Department of Education and the National Science Education Standards. The Georgia Performance Standards, as well as the National Science Education Standards and the National Benchmarks for Science Literacy are incorporated into the science course study. Goals Fulton County Schools goals for science education are consistent with those that underlie the National Science Education Standards and Georgia Performance Standards. They are to educate students who are able to: experience the richness and excitement of knowing about and understanding the natural world; use appropriate habits of mind and understandings of the nature of science and scientific principles in making personal decisions; engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about matters of scientific and technological concern; and increase their economic productivity through their knowledge, understanding, and skills as a scientifically literate person in their careers. Overview At each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade, the science curriculum has co-requisite standards: Characteristics of Science and Content. The content is divided into three domains or strands: (a) Physical Science, (b) Earth and Space Science, and (c) Life Science. Integrated into these strands are unifying concepts and processes, science and technology, science in personal and social perspectives, and the history and nature of science. There is a strong emphasis on "doing" science, and hands-on activities are the primary vehicles for learning. Kindergarten Students observe the properties or characteristics, similarities, differences and changes in objects and events in the environment by using their senses. They classify these objects and/or events on the basis of these properties and order or sequence them on the basis of their relationships. They learn to begin communicating through oral or written descriptions, diagrams, graphs, pictures, demonstrations, and/or other methods. They make predictions about their world based on their observations. Specific topics include: classification of common materials; categorization of common objects according to their motions; the effects of gravity on objects; patterns in the day and night sky; the of rocks and soils; classification of living and non-living organisms according to observable. Grade 1

2 Students continue to refine their observation, classification, communication, and prediction skills. They learn to make inferences based on the data they have collected about objects and/or events using their senses. Specific topics include: patterns in weather and climate; changes in physical properties of water that produce rain, snow, sleet, and hailstone; light and sound; the effects of magnets; characteristics of plants and animals and their basic needs. Grade 2 Students continue to refine their observation, classification, communication, prediction, and inference skills. They build the concept of measurement through experiences measuring length, capacity, mass/weight, and temperature of objects. Second graders begin using space/time relationships; perceiving and describing objects in terms of their shape, motion, position, and/or location. Science concepts studied include: of stars; astronomical patterns caused by the motion of the earth and the moon relative to each other and the sun; effects of weather, plants, animals, and/or people on the local environment; characteristics and properties of the common states of matter; changes in speed or direction of an object as a result of a push or pull; life cycles of common animals, plants, and fungi. Grade 3 Students continue to refine their skills of keeping records, safe use of the tools of science, observation, classification, communication, inference, measurement, prediction, and use of space/time relationships. Specific topic areas are: the attributes of rocks, minerals, and soils of Georgia; fossils and how they are formed; heat and temperature; magnets; habitats of Georgia; pollution; conservation of the environment. Unifying concepts are systems, models, constancy and change, and scale. Grade 4 Students continue to refine their skills of keeping records, safe use of the tools of science, observation, classification, communication, inference, measurement, prediction, and use of space/time relationships skills. They learn to identify variables and explain how the variables are controlled when doing an experiment. Students interpret data, i.e., they identify patterns or trends in the data they collect. Specific topic areas are: stars; the solar system; water cycle; weather measurements; how sound is produced and modified; the nature of light; simple machines; the effects of force on motion; the force of gravity; organisms and flow of energy in ecosystems; adaptations of organisms that affect their survival. Unifying concepts are systems, models, constancy and change, and scale. Grade 5 Students continue to refine their observation, classification, communication, inference, measurement, prediction, use of space/time relations, and interpretation of data skills. The students not only identify the variables in an experiment and explain how the variables are controlled, but they also learn to manipulate them in experiments. They design and perform procedures in an experiment in order to obtain reliable information about the interrelationships between objects and events. Students construct hypotheses (generalized statements) on the

3 basis of observations and measurements. These statements are applied to a new set of events and may be tested in the new environment. Students define objects and events operationally, i.e., they define objects and events based on what the object or event is and what it does in the context of the examination. Students formulate models, using their observations and inferences about an object or event, to explain how the object or event works. Specific topic areas are: surface features of the earth; whole as the sum of the parts; physical and chemical changes; electricity and circuits; magnets and electromagnets; classification of living things; learned behavior and inherited traits; parts of cells; effects of microorganisms. Unifying concepts are systems, models, constancy and change, and scale. Science Characteristics of Science Measure, keep records, and offer reasons for scientific findings Understand the importance of safety Have the computational skills to analyze scientific data correctly Use the relevant tools of science to explore scientific matters Understand and communicate scientific ideas clearly Use models to explain scientific principles and characteristics Make observations that measure and describe scientific matters Raise questions that can be investigated scientifically Grade Physical Science Earth Science Life Science Kindergarten Compare, sort, and use the senses to classify common materials Push, pull, and roll common objects, and categorize them according to their motions Communicate the effects of gravity on objects such as airplanes, birds, sun, moon, stars, and a book First Grade Investigate light, sound and the application of sound to safety issues Describe changes that occur in the sky during the day and night and recognize that the sun supplies heat and light to the Earth Use the senses to describe the of rocks and soils Observe, measure, and communicate written data to see patterns in Sort living organisms (plants and animals) and non-living things according to their observable Compare the similarities and differences in groups of organisms (animals, plants, parents and offspring) Identify and describe characteristics and basic needs

4 Demonstrate effects of magnets on each other and on other objects Second Grade Describe the of stars such as size, brightness, and patterns Investigate the position of the sun and moon, relative to the earth, to show patterns throughout the day and the year Recognize the effects in a specific area caused by the action of weather, plants, and/or people Third Grade Heat production Temperature and heat change Magnets Fourth Grade Physical attributes of mirrors, lenses, and prisms and how they affect light How light is affected by materials that are opaque, translucent, and transparent How force affects the motion of objects including the actions of simple machines. weather and climate Recognize changes in physical properties of water that result in the production of rain, snow, sleet, and hailstone Identify the common states of matter and investigate changes in objects caused by freezing, dissolving, melting, squeezing, etc. Demonstrate changes in speed and direction using pushes and pulls Identify sources of energy and how the energy is used Physical attributes of rocks and minerals Fossils and their formation Physical attributes of stars compared with those of the planet Position and motion of objects in the solar system States of water and the water cycle Weather instruments and weather prediction of plants and animals Investigate the life cycle of common animals, plants, and fungi Ecosystems of Georgia Effects of pollution Actions to protect the environment Role of organisms in the flow of energy Effects of environmental changes on populations of organisms Adaptations of organisms that affect their survival

5 Fifth Grade Whole as the sum of parts Physical and chemical changes Static and current electricity and the components of electric circuit Comparison of a bar magnet with an electromagnet Constructive and destructive forces and their effects on the surface features of the earth How living things are classified Inherited characteristics and learned behaviors Parts of various types of cells How microorganisms benefit and harm larger organisms