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Beginning with the 2014-2015 academic year, all students in lower school will have lab science as part of their curriculum. Pam Deringer, lower school science teacher, is expanding her Bay Studies program so that children in kindergarten through fourth grade will get hands-on science instruction. “I am building the curriculum from the bottom up so every student in lower school will be exposed to inquiry-based, hands-on lab science.” Lab science is unique in early grades and will provide Kent School students experience that other students may not have until middle school. Lower school teachers have been collaborating with Mrs. Deringer to support her science curriculum with relevant classroom preparation. Science lessons and activities focus on the processes of Science. Students are challenged to become scientists as they develop their skills in observing, classifying, measuring, estimating, inferring, predicting, hypothesizing, interpreting data, controlling data, and experimenting. Hands-on activities, literature, and experiments in the areas of life science, physical science, and earth science allow students to become familiar with the nature of science and develop a natural curiosity about their world. The primary focus of our program is for our students to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be solid science students in the future. Deringer continued, “At each level, I plan on posing an essential question. Inquiries will be open-ended but there will be a process introduced to formulate hypotheses and solutions. By posing questions and thinking about possible outcomes, the children are playing with science and gaining experience with scientific method. I envision a spiraling curriculum in which major concepts will be built upon each year. For example, in kindergarten, a Life Science unit may focus on living and non-living things and identifying basic life needs. Skip ahead to third grade and life science has advanced to studying life cycles and anatomy and in fourth grade we are studying whole ecosystems. Given our location along the Chester River, a natural recurring theme throughout each grade will be environmental sustainability.” Chris Gorycki, headmaster said, “The expansion of lab science in lower school demonstrates our commitment excellence. It is exciting to think about the possibilities created by the spiraling curriculum as our students move from kindergarten through 8th grade. I am also proud of the collaboration among our faculty that enables this kind of progress at Kent School.” Kent School is an independent school serving boys and girls from pre-k through 8th grade. For more information about Kent School visit www.kentschool.org or call 410-778-4100 ext. 110 |
