Elementary Science Program
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The major goals of the elementary (1st-5th grade) hands-on science program are to promote scientific literacy by teaching students effective techniques for observing and testing the world around them. As a result they learn the what, how, when, and why of the things with which they interact. Depth of understanding and conceptual development are promoted as well as the process skills of observing, communicating, making inferences, predicting, drawing conclusions, and cooperative learning.
The science curriculum is FOSS (Full Option Science System) and is a comprehensive hands-on curriculum that utilizes inquiry-based science into practical lessons. The FOSS curriculum follows the Indiana State Standards for Science, which are based on the national benchmarks set forth in Benchmarks for Science Literacy, an offshoot of Project 2061’s Science for All Americans.
The core curriculum of the basic science program is enhanced in a variety of ways. After studying plant life cycles, first graders develop their knowledge of plants further by conducting experiments on plants and plant growth. Then they go on to plant a vegetable garden in the nature center in the spring and enjoy their bounty by harvesting their vegetables and hosting a salad party for their parents. First graders also study rocks and soils, and the basic physics of balancing and movement.
Students in grade two kick off the year with a living things, leaf and tree study, and travel to the IU arboretum to explore exotic species of trees. They collect leaves and put together a leaf project. Second Graders also do an in depth study of insects and their environment. They raise a variety of insects (mealworms, wax worms, butterflies, termites, crickets, beetles, and isopods) to learn about their life cycle, measure their growth, study patterns and investigate their impact on the environment. Other areas of study are Solids, Liquids and Gases, as well as Weather. Second graders visit the Children’s Museum to explore and expand scientific concepts.
Third graders become geologists for much of the year to explore rocks, fossils, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs. Students dig up bones, chart earthquakes and touch fossils that are over 200 million years old! Moving on to the Human Body, they dissect owl pellets to learn about bones and their structure and function in the body.
Fourth graders study the effects of nutrition in a controlled rat experiment sponsored by the Dairy and Nutrition Council. Two lucky fourth graders have the chance to keep the rats! Students in grade four also study space, through a Mission to Mars unit, where they explore Mars and what it would be like to have a space colony on the red planet. They have to consider food sources, water sources and how to generate energy. This links to our other investigations on water, electricity and living things. Fourth graders make mini-ecosystems and raise small fish or shrimp.
Students in grade five have a unique learning experience when they make a half-week overnight trip to Bradford Woods Camp to explore the environment in a truly cooperative setting. Students study the environment in detail in class and then attend Bradford Woods. They also research and prepare a scientific experiment for the Science Fair. The Science Fair is held for the entire school and for St. Charles families. At the end of the year, the fifth grade students host a Living Wax Museum where they dramatize a famous scientist for their parents and peers. They also complete a written report on a famous scientist in Media Center. In class, fifth graders conduct investigations on levers & pulleys, catapults, planes, pendulums, as well as solar energy.
Many science students participate in a Garden and Nature Club, where they care for and learn about nature and gardening. Students maintain the nature center, fill bird feeders and plant vegetables in the nature center. They also participate in a salad party at the end of the year to celebrate their hard work.
A high point in the spring for third grades and up is the “Egg Drop”, in which a fire truck, with basket, drops protected/non protected eggs from over two stories high. Depending on the class assignment, raw eggs are meant to survive or crash. Energy transfer and the effects of gravity are two of the concepts reinforced by this activity.
The science curriculum is FOSS (Full Option Science System) and is a comprehensive hands-on curriculum that utilizes inquiry-based science into practical lessons. The FOSS curriculum follows the Indiana State Standards for Science, which are based on the national benchmarks set forth in Benchmarks for Science Literacy, an offshoot of Project 2061’s Science for All Americans.
The core curriculum of the basic science program is enhanced in a variety of ways. After studying plant life cycles, first graders develop their knowledge of plants further by conducting experiments on plants and plant growth. Then they go on to plant a vegetable garden in the nature center in the spring and enjoy their bounty by harvesting their vegetables and hosting a salad party for their parents. First graders also study rocks and soils, and the basic physics of balancing and movement.
Students in grade two kick off the year with a living things, leaf and tree study, and travel to the IU arboretum to explore exotic species of trees. They collect leaves and put together a leaf project. Second Graders also do an in depth study of insects and their environment. They raise a variety of insects (mealworms, wax worms, butterflies, termites, crickets, beetles, and isopods) to learn about their life cycle, measure their growth, study patterns and investigate their impact on the environment. Other areas of study are Solids, Liquids and Gases, as well as Weather. Second graders visit the Children’s Museum to explore and expand scientific concepts.
Third graders become geologists for much of the year to explore rocks, fossils, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs. Students dig up bones, chart earthquakes and touch fossils that are over 200 million years old! Moving on to the Human Body, they dissect owl pellets to learn about bones and their structure and function in the body.
Fourth graders study the effects of nutrition in a controlled rat experiment sponsored by the Dairy and Nutrition Council. Two lucky fourth graders have the chance to keep the rats! Students in grade four also study space, through a Mission to Mars unit, where they explore Mars and what it would be like to have a space colony on the red planet. They have to consider food sources, water sources and how to generate energy. This links to our other investigations on water, electricity and living things. Fourth graders make mini-ecosystems and raise small fish or shrimp.
Students in grade five have a unique learning experience when they make a half-week overnight trip to Bradford Woods Camp to explore the environment in a truly cooperative setting. Students study the environment in detail in class and then attend Bradford Woods. They also research and prepare a scientific experiment for the Science Fair. The Science Fair is held for the entire school and for St. Charles families. At the end of the year, the fifth grade students host a Living Wax Museum where they dramatize a famous scientist for their parents and peers. They also complete a written report on a famous scientist in Media Center. In class, fifth graders conduct investigations on levers & pulleys, catapults, planes, pendulums, as well as solar energy.
Many science students participate in a Garden and Nature Club, where they care for and learn about nature and gardening. Students maintain the nature center, fill bird feeders and plant vegetables in the nature center. They also participate in a salad party at the end of the year to celebrate their hard work.
A high point in the spring for third grades and up is the “Egg Drop”, in which a fire truck, with basket, drops protected/non protected eggs from over two stories high. Depending on the class assignment, raw eggs are meant to survive or crash. Energy transfer and the effects of gravity are two of the concepts reinforced by this activity.