The science curriculum has two overarching goals. First we want students to understand inquiry as the means of scientific investigation and problem solving. Secondly we want children to understand that scientific knowledge is organized around fundamental principles and concepts, that it is ever changing, and that the work of scientists is to look critically at existing knowledge and collaborate through inquiry to continue to expand and refine our scientific theories and knowledge.

     To accomplish these goals the science curriculum is organized into two strands. One strand teaches science through a set of content units. The second strand teaches scientific inquiry through a carefully selected series of units that focus on how scientists expand and refine their knowledge.

     Our content units are conceptually rich, age appropriate, and of high interest to children. Through these units students learn how significant scientific information is organized around important concepts. In second grade, for example, students learn about ecosystems through a study of ponds and oceans. Concepts such as interdependence, life cycles, food chains, and water cycles are all explored as they study pond life and seasonal changes. In third grade a study of rivers extends students’ knowledge of ecosystems and adds a geological component which explores gravity, water flow, and the reasons a river valley changes over time. In sixth grade a study of simple machines develops the scientific concepts of work, friction and inertia, and, through a parallel study of invention, shows how scientific ideas develop over time and the impact they have on our society. Content units involve students in a rich set of activities: field work, model building, experiments, museum visits, and classroom visits by area scientists. Many of these units involve research projects through which students learn how to effectively use a variety of reference materials and to consolidate and extend their knowledge through presentations and written reports.

      Our inquiry units are designed to help students understand how scientific knowledge is developed. They learn that scientific knowledge is based on a process of asking good questions, gathering evidence, organizing and interpreting data, and drawing conclusions. In the first grade students work with a system of magnets. They learn to set up “fair tests” to gather evidence relevant to their questions or predictions about the behavior of magnets. They then examine test results and discuss the quality of their evidence before finally deciding if they can draw reasonable conclusions about the ways in which magnets behave. In each succeeding year students engage in inquiry using different systems (liquids, pendulums, ramps, propulsion, and electrical circuits). Through guided discussions students grow in their ability to formulate questions and to understand systems of variables, the concept of reliable evidence, the need for multiple trials, accurate measurement, the collection of good data, and many other features of good scientific inquiry.

     The connection between science and other academic disciplines is evident throughout the curriculum. For example, the third grade study of rivers focuses on the river as an ecosystem, including the relationship between human civilization and the river. Students examine both the ways in which a river can support an adjacent community by providing food, water, transportation, and power; and the ways humans can influence the ecosystems that support them. Inquiry units incorporate the mathematics of measurement and data collection and analysis. Botany work in fifth grade extends into the art classroom as students learn skills of representational, scientific drawing. An exploration of the history of science builds skills in language arts through work with biographies and other historical documents. Through these cross-curricular connections, students come to view science as a human endeavor that influences nearly every aspect of their lives.