SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY

Effective science instruction is inquiry-based and equipped with the following elements:

• curiosity fueled environment based on students’ observations of the natural world

• experiences of scientific phenomena, the exploration of patterns, and student-created explanations

• meaningful experiences rooted in real-world contexts

• student engagement in the scientific process by making observations, developing testable predictions, gathering data, and sharing theories

• accountable student talk where students respond to each other and collaborate in learning

• opportunities for the collection and analyzation of data

• “hands-on, minds-on” approach where formative assessments are used to drive instruction and monitor student engagement

• inquiry notebooks kept as form of assessment

• lessons based off Next Generation Science Standards