Students meet once a week in the science lab for 45 minutes. The units of study
follow this basic outline. To maximize learning opportunities the curriculum
is flexible and remains open to variation each year.
Curriculum
Structure of the Earth
Making models of the Earth: crust, mantle, and core
Plate tectonics
Volcanoes and earthquakes
Matter
States of matter, classification, exploration of properties
Changes in state, relationship with temperature
Classifications of solids with properties of liquids
Interactions of simple chemicals
Rocks and Minerals
Identification: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
Crystals
Soil
Composition
Drainage
Making adobe
Structures
Testing materials for strength
Relationships between shape and strength
Building structures with sticks, straws, and clay
Natural History
Time lines
Prehistoric life
Fossils: identification, formation, and interpretation
