Science Curriculum Mission Statement

Transcription

1 Science Curriculum Mission Statement In order to create budding scientists, the focus of the elementary science curriculum is to provide meaningful experience exploring scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge advances when students observe objects and events, think about how they relate to what is known, test their ideas in logical ways, and generate explanations that integrate the new information into the established order. The best way for students to appreciate the scientific enterprise, learn important scientific concepts, and develop the ability to think critically is to actively construct ideas through their own inquiries, investigations, and analyses. The science curriculum engages students in these processes as they explore the natural world. Since the scientific enterprise is both what we know (content) and how we come to know it (process) the science instruction is designed to provide practical experiences in classrooms, students learn science by doing science they construct an understanding of science concepts through their own investigations and analyses, using laboratory equipment, student readings, and interactive technology. Students exercise logical thinking and decision-making skills appropriate to their age level. Classroom inquiry has five essential features and those features are summarized as follows: 1. Students engage in scientifically oriented questions. 2. Students give priority to evidence in responding to questions. 3. Students formulate explanations from evidence. 4. Students connect explanations to scientific knowledge. 5. Students communicate and justify explanations. The nature of science is explicitly taught in the classroom in order to enhance students understanding of the values, beliefs, and practices of the scientific community that guide the generation and evaluation of the scientific knowledge. Additionally, the scientific thinking processes assist students in understanding how our world functions and how, we, as human beings function as part of the scientific world community. This framework is built around providing a knowledge-centered learning environment that incorporates the essential features of classroom inquiry. Because the quality of life will be significantly influenced by science and technology in the twenty-first century, it is important for all citizens to be scientifically literate throughout their life. They should be able to make thoughtful, informed decisions appropriate to their age and experience. Therefore, we promote scientific literacy by providing all students with science

2 experiences that are appropriate to their stages of cognitive development and serve as a foundation for more advanced ideas that prepare them for life in an increasingly complex scientific and technological world. We create forward thinking citizens who are environmentally and ecologically aware of their impact on their homes, cities, regions, countries and ultimately the entire world. They gain an understanding of sustainable relationships through interrelated scientific concepts. Each student recognizes the interdependence of citizens in all countries to maintain a functioning setting in which to live and endure together in a way for all to benefit from our beautiful earth. Three Dimensions of Science Learning Content Knowledge: Content knowledge in the science curriculum is comprehensive, giving our students a wide range of topics in science. It includes physical science, life science, and earth science. Physical science units may include balance and motion, solids and liquids, and levers and pulleys. Life science units may include insects, the human body and ecology. Earth science units may include weather, rocks and minerals, and plate tectonics. Scientific Thinking Processes: Observing: During this process, students use their senses to observe the natural world and obtain information. Communicating: Students communicate what they have learned through a variety of methods such as drawing, acting, and discussions. Comparing: Second nature to observing our world is the ability to compare and contrast what is observed and what is currently held as prior knowledge. Organizing: Each student gains an understanding and ability to group and sequence their findings. Relating: As their skills grow, students learn to classify and explain the cause and effect relationships in science. Inferring: By inferring relationships and understanding of order, students use reasoning to develop more complex ideas in science which may include superordinate/subordinate classification, if/then reasoning, and developing scientific laws.

3 Applying: Ultimately students develop strategic plans and invent using their own ideas to show true application and understanding of scientific concepts. Building Explanations: Students use their knowledge to solve problems. Observe if they are engaged in the process of generating explanations of what they have learned. Students are able to communicate observations, incorporate new vocabulary and knowledge, and convey that knowledge to others. Science Curriculum Fourth Grade Physical Sciences: Magnetism and Electricity Observe the interaction of permanent magnets with a variety of common materials. Learn that magnets have two poles (north and south) and that like poles repel each other while unlike poles attract each other. Magnets can be used to make some objects move without being touched. Measure the change in force between two magnets as the distance between them changes. Use a simple compass to detect magnetic effects, including Earth s magnetic field. Identify materials that are conductors and insulators. Design and construct simple open, closed, parallel, and series circuits by using components such as wires, batteries, bulbs, and motors. Learn how to make an electromagnet. Experience the relationship between the number of turns of wire around an electromagnet core and the strength of the magnetism. Understand the role of electromagnets in the construction of electric motors, electric generators, and simple devices, such as doorbells. Understand static electricity and electrically charged objects attract or repel each other. Discover that electric energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion. Acquire vocabulary associated with magnetism and electricity. Exercise language, math, and social studies skills in the context of magnetism and electricity investigations. Physics of Sound Observe and compare sounds to develop discrimination ability. Learn that sound originates from a source that is vibrating and is detected at a receiver such as the human ear.

4 Learn that sound energy can be carried from one place to another by waves through various medium. Compare methods to amplify sound at the source and at the receiver. Understand the relationship between the pitch of a sound and the physical properties of the sound source (i.e. length of vibrating object, frequency of vibrations, and tension of vibrating string). Observe and compare how sound travels through solids, liquids, and air. Use knowledge of the physics of sound to solve simple sound challenges. Acquire vocabulary associated with the physics of sound. Exercise language, social studies, and math skills in the context of the physics of sound. Life Sciences: Animal Studies Develop an interest in exploring the characteristics and behaviors of animals. Develop an appreciation for the safe handling and observations of animals. Identify all the living and nonliving elements that surround an animal such as other animals, plants, climate, water, air, and location affect the life of that animal. Identify a habitat as the place where an animal finds the resources food, water, shelter, and space necessary to survive and reproduce. Classify animals according to their characteristics and compare and contrast animals of different group. Develop responsibility for the care of animals and maintaining animals outside their natural habitats. Develop questions and answer them through behavioral observation and research. Ecosystems Classify biotic and abiotic factors within an environment and recognize that ecosystems can be characterized by their living and nonliving components. Recognize plants as the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chain. Learn that produces and consumers are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem. Learn that decomposers recycle matter from dead plants and animals. Identify examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, rainforests, and grasslands. Recognize certain type of animal has specific needs, such as type of food, amount of water, and range of temperature. Create a travel brochure to demonstrate the knowledge on plants and wildlife, threats to different ecosystems, and different ways that people have made positive changes in the environment. Create and participate in a presentation depicting the highlights of the ecosystem research. Demonstrate active knowledge of conservation measures. Earth Sciences:

5 Earth Materials Develop an interest in earth materials. Gain experience with rocks and minerals. Learn that properties of rock and minerals reflect the processes that formed them. Discover ways to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle). Identify common rocks and rock-forming minerals. Investigate the effect of vinegar (acid) on a specific mineral, calcite. Use evaporation to investigate rock composition. Compare their activities to the work of geologist. Acquire vocabulary used in earth science. Investigation and Experimentation: Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating. Understand the process of taking apart and putting together to find out about materials. Develop and refine the manipulative skills required for making investigations. Use scientific knowledge to solve simple challenges. Follow a set of written instruction for a scientific investigation. Differentiate observation from inference and know scientists explanations come partly from what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations. Measure and estimate the weight, length, or volume of objects. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships. Conduct multiple trials to test a prediction and draw conclusions about the relationships between prediction and results. Construct and interpret graphs from measurements.