Science Curriculum

Our institution structures scientific competency into three developmental stages: progressing from observation to experimentation, and ultimately to modeling. Language arts and mathematical skills (such as data analysis and drafting lab reports) are seamlessly integrated throughout the curriculum.

Phase 1: Observation & Phenomenon Exploration (Grade 1 – Grade 2)

Core Objectives: Cultivating observational skills regarding natural phenomena, learning to ask "why," and conducting foundational categorization.

Curriculum Content:

1. Life Science: Basic survival needs of plants and animals (water, light, food).
2. Physical Science: Observing states of matter (solids, liquids) and their properties (hardness, color, absorbency).
3. Earth Science: Changing weather patterns and the effect of sunlight on the Earth's surface.
4. Engineering Design: Observing problems and attempting to create solutions using simple materials (e.g., building a sunshade).
5. Expected Outcomes: Students can utilize their five senses to make observations and use drawings or simple sentences to record phenomena observed during experiments.

Phase 2: Investigation & Causal Inference (Grade 3 – Grade 4)

Core Objectives: Learning to design a "Fair Test," understanding variable control, and identifying patterns within data.

Curriculum Content:

1. Life Science: Biological life cycles, inherited traits, fossils, and environmental changes.
2. Physical Science: Balanced and unbalanced forces, magnetic and electrical forces, and energy transfer.
3. Earth Science: Landscape erosion and weathering, and natural disaster prevention (e.g., designing earthquake-resistant building models).
4. Expected Outcomes: Students can formulate testable questions, create charts to present data, and attempt to explain causal relationships ("If we change A, what happens to B?").

Phase 3: Modeling & Systems Thinking (Grade 5 – Grade 6)

Core Objectives: Building abstract models to explain complex systems and successfully engaging in scientific "Argument from Evidence."

Curriculum Content:

1. Life Science: Matter cycling and energy flow in ecosystems (food webs), and foundational concepts of cells.
2. Physical Science: Atomic and molecular models, introductory chemical reactions, gravity, and planetary motion.
3. Earth Science: The interaction among Earth's four spheres (Atmosphere, Geosphere/Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere).
4. Engineering Design: Defining the constraints of complex problems, followed by iterative prototype testing and optimization.
5. Expected Outcomes: Students can draft formal scientific reports, utilize mathematical models (ratios, graphs) to support their perspectives, and possess the critical ability to evaluate peer research reports.

Curriculum Design Principles

Our science classes serve as the ultimate practical arena for "Integrated Literacy":

1. Science Writing (WIDA/ESL Scaffolding):
2. Utilizing the Process Writing approach, we guide students in transforming "observation notes" into "formal lab reports."
3. Targeted sentence frames for A2 students: "I observed that...", "The data shows that..."
4. Mathematics in Science (CCSS-M Integration):
5. Lower grades practice measuring length and weight; upper grades practice calculating averages and percentages, and translating data into coordinate graphs.
6. Reading Informational Texts:
7. Science classes involve extensive reading of non-fiction texts. Training students to extract key evidence from articles aligns perfectly with CCSS English Language Arts standards.

Expected Core Competencies

1. Inquiry: Maintaining curiosity toward the unknown, valuing empirical evidence, and questioning authority rather than following blindly.
2. Problem Solving: Applying an engineering mindset—"define the problem, design a solution, test and improve"—when facing difficulties.
3. Communication: Communicating scientific phenomena accurately and clearly to others, whether through Mandarin, English, or data visualization.