MS Program of Studies - Departments

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE

Students learn science best through: • Curiosity and the desire to understand the world. • Engaging in hands on inquiry-based collaborative exploration. • Scientific inquiry that takes on many forms - trial and error, documentation, prediction, testing, experimentation, reflection, model making invention, creativity, intuition and so on. • Functioning as scientists. • Demonstrating a balance of conceptual understanding, procedural proficiency and factual knowledge. • Revising thinking by acknowledging and resolving discrepancies and misconceptions through examination of evidence. • Developing scientific literacy in the process of doing science. • Immersing them in science when it is relevant to their lives. Effective science teaching practices: • Provide opportunities for choice, hands-on and collaborative group work that guides scientific discovery. • Teach process skills that apply to the various content areas of science. • Challenge students to think through problems and to explain their reasoning related to Science concepts. • Offer learning experiences that are integrated across the curriculum. • Teach a developmentally appropriate number of fundamental concepts that are explored in depth. • Guide and support students in making connections between their prior knowledge and current instruction. • Use varied assessments to monitor understanding and ability to apply knowledge. • Identify and challenge misconceptions. • Use technology appropriate for doing and teaching science. • Support understanding of connections within science and the historical development of scientific knowledge. Middle School science courses are designed to be inquiry based. The curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Each grade level has a mix of physical, chemical and life science to help students see the interconnections of the various branches of science. In addition to laboratory investgation, teachers use a variety of resources including text, websites, movies, research, field experiences and scientific experts to deliver the curriculum. Three overarching standards that have threads in each grade levels are: • The student understands the nature and tools of scientific inquiry. • The student knows about the diversity and unity that characterize life. • The student understands basic science processes.