(The complete course of study is available in the curriculum department at the Fairfield City Schools district office.)
Philosophy
What is science? Physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman tries to answer this question in his book, The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a citizen scientist (Perseus Books, 1998). He presents three different understandings of what people mean when they use the word science:
- A special method of finding things out
- The body of knowledge arising from the things found out
- The new things you can do when you have found something out.
The second meaning is what comes to mind when many people think of science—the content of science. Too often in the past, science instruction in schools has focused almost exclusively on the delivery of this content. The first meaning is what is referred to as scientific inquiry. Inquiry involves asking questions about the world, collecting and analyzing data, thinking critically and logically, and drawing conclusions based on the evidence. The third meaning describes what we often refer to as technology—using our science knowledge to do things differently.
All three aspects of science are important parts of the science experience in the Fairfield City Schools. The science program in Fairfield reflects these broad ideas of what science is about as presented in Ohio’s Science Content Standards. The standards Earth and Space Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences present in part the body of science knowledge. The Science and Technology standard deals with how science knowledge is applied in the world and the interactions between science and society. The standards Scientific Inquiry and Scientific Ways of Knowing elaborate on how we use science to make sense of our experiences.
The demands of today’s world require a society which is scientifically literate. We are committed to a science program which promotes the development scientific literacy in each student. As described in the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996), we need to educate students to be able to
- experience the richness and excitement of knowing about and understanding the natural world;
- use appropriate scientific processes and principles in making personal decisions;
- engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about matters of scientific and technological concern; and
- increase their economic productivity through the use of the knowledge, understand, and skills of the scientifically literate person in their careers.
To help reach these goals, teachers in the classroom
- focus and support inquiries while interacting with students.
- orchestrate dialogue among students about scientific ideas.
- challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning.
- recognize and respond to student diversity and encourage all students to participate fully in science learning.
- encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.
Technology is an integral part of the Fairfield science program in multiple ways. The Science and Technology standard ensures that all students will learn about the connections among science, technology, and society, and explore the nature of the technological design process. Technology skills are incorporated into the science classroom so that students are learning how to use technology as they use it as a tool to gather, organize, and make sense of science information. As technologies develop, students will continue to use appropriate technologies as tools in the education process.
Our schools serve a diverse population of students. This diversity contributes to the quality and character of our school community and, at the same time, creates for us an instructional challenge. We are committed to meeting the diverse needs of our students. Classroom experiences provide enriching and challenging opportunities to extend science concepts while putting in place a range of supports necessary to assist all students in meeting the expected science standards.
The Fairfield City School District is committed to the continual process of building and maintaining a high quality science program which includes: strong science content and inquiry experiences, a variety of assessment strategies to provide regular monitoring, flexible attention to the diverse needs of our students, an integration of appropriate technology, adequate science facilities and materials, and ongoing professional development for our teachers.
Assessment/Evaluation
Assessment is an integral component of the Fairfield science program. Assessment refers to much more than just a test given at the end of the unit or course in order to provide a grade. There are multiple reasons for utilizing assessments in the science classroom—the variety of purposes dictates a variety of assessment types. Assessment uses include
- evaluating the student for content mastery
- providing ongoing monitoring of student progress in order to tailor/modify instructional experiences
- creating the opportunity for self-assessment and monitoring by the students
- assessing the quality of curriculum and instruction, and provide data to modify these as appropriate.
Meaningful assessments are used to provide information on various aspects of student knowledge and abilities. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA Position Statement: Assessment, 2007) states that quality assessments help provide us with information on students’
- understandings of science content, and process knowledge and skills
- abilities to think critically and solve simple to complex problems
- capabilities of designing scientific experiments, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions
- capacities to see and articulate relationships between science topics and real-world issues and concerns
- skills using mathematics as a tool for science learning.
There are many types of assessment tools available to schools. These include state achievement tests, district benchmark assessments, and multiple opportunities for classroom assessment.
The assessment/evaluation system used in the Fairfield City Schools incorporates a variety of assessments—formal and informal, teacher-made and state generated—with the goal of providing the best educational experiences for each and every student.
Topics/Units of Study
Kindergarten Topics
How and Why Things Move
Day and Night
Backyard Animals
Scientific Inquiry
Transition Topics
Observing Changes
Plants and Animals
Motion and Materials
Science and Technology
Scientific Inquiry
First Grade Topics
Matter
Force, Motion, and Energy
Building and Tools
Resources and Recycling
Life Science
Science Processes
Second Grade Topics
Sound and Light
Weather and Water Cycle
Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars
Ohio Ecosystems—Plants and Animals
Science and Technology
Science Processes
Third Grade Topics
Introduction to Science Inquiry
Rocks and Soil
Force and Motion
Simple Machines
Animals
Science and Technology
Science Processes
Fourth Grade Topics
Inquiry—Science Processes
Weather
Matter
Plants
Science and Technology
Fifth Grade Topics
Inquiry—Science Processes
Earth, Moon, and Beyond
Using Resources
Energy and Ecosystems
Ecosystems and Change
World Ecosystems
Thermal Energy
Electricity
Sound and Light
Sixth Grade Topics
Science Inquiry
Science and Technology
Matter
Energy Resources
Rocks and Minerals
Cells
Body Systems
Heredity
Interdependence
Seventh Grade Topics
Earth and Space Sciences
Life Sciences
The Methods of Science
Science and Technology
Eighth Grade Topics
Science Inquiry
Earth Science
Space Science
Force, Motion, and Energy
Integrated Physical Science
High School Science Courses
Ninth Grade Courses
Basic Freshman Science
General Freshman Science
College Prep Freshman Science
Accelerated Freshman Science
CP Biology
Senior High Course Offerings
General Science
Biological Survey
CP Biology
Physical Science
Chemistry in the Community
Chemistry I
Integrated Science
Senior Integrated Science
Environmental Science
Anatomy and Physiology
Conceptual Physics
Physics
AP Physics
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
For more information or questions, please contact David Vernot.
