“Good Morning, Scientists!”

A Journey Of Discovery In Lower Division Science

By Emma Hobart-Sheran Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications

ImagIne you walk into your third grade class and Melinda Huffman says “This week, we are making catapults.” We get to make what?! Or, that Will Lyons greets your PreK class with “Good Morning, Scientists!” as you begin creating a shadow museum. First graders are determining which paper towel brand is the most absorbent with their teacher, Beth Hawkins. Is it Bounty or Brawny? Not only are you excited about projects in your classroom, but you get to look forward to making musical instruments in Grade 4 and to all that’s to come in the Upper Division.

All of this excitement arises from a deeply thoughtful, well-planned curriculum that the Lower Division science team has scaffolded to ensure every student grows as a scientific thinker. “We want the kids to refer to themselves as scientists inside and outside the classroom,” says Will Lyons, PreK Science Specialist. Park’s inquiry-based, experiential program lets our youngest students’ interests shine as it exposes them to science and begins to inculcate the habits of mind that will support their growth as they come to see themselves as scientists and engineers.

The Lower Division science team comprises Beth, Melinda, and Will, and each brings a love of science and a unique background to their classrooms. From a student’s earliest days in PreK through their transition to Upper Division, they explore many topics through their curriculum–from animals in different habitats to space exploration, programming robots to move in a predetermined pattern, and more–and expand their fascination with the world while also acquiring the scientific skills and concepts they will need in school and in life.

The team constantly considers how they can help students understand these essential concepts through an experience such as a lab, making a model, or a hands-on activity. Beth remembers her own secondgrade science teacher. “I remember planting things with her and constantly touching everything. It was a time of wonder.” One of Beth’s passions is outdoor education, and she loves taking students outside to take advantage of our sprawling campus. Whether they embark on an annual trek around campus the first day back from Spring Break or explore the

“hidden creek” as they talk about water, Beth hopes to give her students the same experience she remembers fondly.

Building a solid foundation in the sciences is a student’s first step towards science proficiency. Students gather essential skills to make observations, ask questions, collect and analyze data, communicate results, collaborate, and think critically. Melinda observes, “We need to see ourselves as stewards of our planet so that students can make the world better and have a solid background and understanding of how the natural world works.”

Melinda loves engineering and design in addition to robotics and coding projects in which students learn about essential science concepts while being able to express themselves and be creative. Grade 4 builds on what they learned the previous year and uses a Makey Makey kit to explore physical computing. They split into groups based on interest and make a usable instrument, game, interactive poster, or other tool that demonstrates their understanding. The options are endless, which is so exciting for the science department.

While the Next Generation Science Standards are the backbone of the curriculum, each teacher adds their flare in units where they shine as individuals. As

Beth notes, “We teach everything intentionally, but how we teach a subject is flexible. Will may teach PreK students about reptiles differently than I might teach them in K–2 when we cover desert animals. I can take the subject deeper by exploring reptiles indigenous to the desert habitat. Very little is random in our curriculum.”

Melinda, Beth, and Will meet regularly to discuss curriculum plans and get ideas from each other. They look at what was covered and where there might be holes in the studies. An essential part of the science curriculum builds on themes that recur throughout a student’s journey from Lower Division to Upper Division. In PreK, students investigate why leaves change colors and learn about chlorophyll, resulting in color change. In Kindergarten, students plant radish seeds and observe the plant’s life cycle. While all students learn about botany in second, third, and fifth grade, they build on the knowledge acquired the year before as they consider different aspects of the plant–its ecosystem, consumers, needs to grow, and how the plant thrives–for the most comprehensive learning experience.

Students are natural scientists and Park strives to give them time to figure things out independently while teaching them to be curious, lifelong learners. The science team is constantly looking at their lesson plans to see how to strengthen prior knowledge, vocabulary, ideas, and basic concepts as they approach new topics. According to Beth, “We want students to consider thinking and observing as a first step, not jumping to a conclusion immediately, which helps them develop a curiosity for what is next.” She observes that this opportunity is so essential because “having the skill to be creative thinkers will serve them well throughout life.”

Smaller science lessons also occur in the students’ primary classroom. Science teachers consult with classroom teachers on leveled reading resources to determine which students would benefit from a more robust resource or an audio version to find the “just right level” for everyone. While observing caterpillars, chicks, and eggs begins in science rooms, these natural wonders are eventually transferred to kindergarten classrooms so that students can see changes in real-time. “The baby chick will not plan to come out of its shell at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday during their science class!” Beth laughs. The partnership with classroom teachers ensures students remain curious about the world around them in their studies.

Science, as a body of knowledge, is constantly changing. When a question comes up that Beth, Melinda, or Will don’t know, they never want to make up an answer. Beth shares, “I go back to them with the lesson that scientists are researchers. I say, ‘Let’s research and figure it out together.’ Students can always tell if their teacher is engaged in the topic. If I am more excited about the subject, that carries over.” Melinda impresses on students that science is a cycle, not a step-by-step process with a right and wrong answer. “We do not always get the expected response,” she says, “and that’s okay. It’s the nature of science!” The most important thing for students in the Lower Division is learning skills such as problem-solving, resilience, and empathy. All three are essential to address all scientific problems, and they will take this knowledge with them when they enter the Upper Division.

Now in his second year as Science Specialist for PreK, Will appreciates that he can look back on what didn’t go as planned last year, and rebuild the curriculum in better ways moving forward. “The program is consistently evolving. I am learning alongside the students, which shows them that we should never stop learning, even when we become adults!”