Our goal in middle school is to engage students and share our passion for science in a nurturing environment that guides them to realize that learning can be exciting. Teachers share knowledge from all core classes so students can understand how science weaves throughout their everyday lives. They also provide real-world projects and opportunities to work on complex science texts that prepare our students for deeper understanding of topics in Earth Space, Life and Physical Sciences, as well as, Engineering. Experiments allow students to use the scientific method and learn the process of writing a proper lab report. Students build a strong foundation for science and are well prepared to enter Upper School to tackle the curriculum at the next level.
Earth/Space Science is designed to teach students to interpret and understand the world around them. In order to do so, students will investigate and study the interactions between the four major Earth’s spheres, including the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere in order to explain Earth’s formation, processes, history, landscapes, and the how and why Earth changes over time. Students learn about mapping Earth’s surface, fossils, minerals, rocks, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, geologic time, and meteorology. As students move into the second semester they will learn about the solar system and universe. Some topics covered will be the moon’s effect on Earth, the sun, formation and scaling of our solar system, stars and galaxies, the big bang theory, and space exploration. Students will participate in laboratory exercises, small group activities, web based investigations, class discussions, projects, and research.
