Explorer West's science curriculum provides students with a strong foundation in the scientific content necessary to understand how their world works and to make educated decisions that are affected by this knowledge.
Curriculum goals include:
Students can recall essential information to piece together a system from its components and put them back together logically step-by-step to understand the whole.
Students recognize that scientific understanding is dynamic and open to revision and even complete disposal when discoveries are made.
Students can understand and apply the Scientific Method as a critical step toward becoming scientifically-literate citizens. Students create experiments, follow them to logical conclusions, and then present their findings in written and oral formats.
Students use scientific information to draw connections between scientific concepts and their practical applications.
Students recognize moral and ethical boundaries surrounding scientific testing and the application of new understandings.
Students develop the necessary skills to succeed in an academic setting: organization, written and oral communication, problem-solving, reflection, consistent study habits, and respect for the learning environment.
Students are prepared for high school science, the majority at an advanced level.
Students understand the relationship of science to sustainability. The three major components of sustainability - society, environment, and economy - lend themselves to direct investigation and application in science.
Science Program elements by grade
6th Grade
Focus on the fundamentals of physical and chemical science, designing and conducting experiments, forming reasonable conclusions based on data, building models (including designing, building and testing snowshoes).
7th Grade
Focus on life on Earth and how the diversity of life is connected to the conditions in which it evolved. 7th Grade science also includes units on biology, genetics, the human body and reproduction. Projects include building cell models and virtual dissections.
8th Grade
Focus on the structure of the earth, history of volcanoes and earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, explore the beginnings of our solar system and galaxy, use tools such as our weather station, telescopes, and microscopes, connect scientific understanding to making sustainable choices. Projects include building a desalination plant.