Do your elementary school kids have science every day, or do they "cover science" through themes?
I'm really frustrated that 5 months into the school year, I still haven't seen a single science topic covered. According to the school's curriculum, science and social studies are covered through "themes" throughout the school year. I am just not seeing anything coming home that shows that they even discussed a science theme much less actually learned something scientific. The school test scores in science (tested in 5th grade, 8th grade, and 10th grade) are atrocious. It just seems that a major portion of the problem is their lack of science curriculum in the elementary school years. The kids spend more time in music (a 30 minute class everyday) than they do in science, and it seems backwards to me.
What grade is your child in? My 3rd grader has been doing science themed things during the year.. In fall they started with raising cattipillers and watching them turn into butterflys than releasing them into the air. Now this past week my daughter was excited to do experiments in class..
What grade is your child in? Our school starts science/social studies as separate classes in 4th grade. Prior to 4th grade they incorporate science and social studies topics into reading and if they have any extra time they will do a science or social studies lesson. My 2nd and 3rd graders have actually covered quite a bit that way, surprisingly! This is my 6th grader's 3rd year of having these classes as separate classes.
My dd is in 1st grade and they alternate science and social studies throughout the week. Last year, we used a virtual academy and she had science, history and social studies courses. Starting around 4th-5th grade at her school, they start history and change classes for each subject, etc.
They get science in 1st and 2nd grade, but it's not like a separate class. It get intergrated in and of little experiments/projects in class. I never saw specific science papers come home, and they do not get a separate science grade.
It becomes a bigger part of their week starting in 3rd gr- ds2 has brought home a few science papers- but it still isn't a subject they get a grade on a report in. One way they incorporate it is that they work most of the yr on a specialty project: each kid picks an animal to learn about; they learn how to do basic research, do a power point, a tri-fold display board, different worksheet-type pages in a binder that tie it into other subjects (write 2 sentences using adverbs about your animal, make up some math word problems using your animal/facts about your animal, etc), and then have a big Specialty Fair in May to show off all their hard work. It's actually pretty cool : )
Forget everything I said earlier! LOL I asked my 2nd and 3rd graders and they do have set times for science and social studies! In years past they didn't until 4th grade, but apparently times have changed.
I never saw any homework for either them in those subjects this year and just assumed it was like it was when my oldest was in 2nd/3rd grade. I don't remember anyone saying anything about it in the Back-to-School meetings and it's not a grade on their report cards.
My Ds is in 1st
It is inner mixed in DD(first grade) math lessons. I have not seen any scienc per se, but a packet comes home each week for parents to look at and sign the big yellow envelope it comes in and last week there was a not thae she got 100% on a science test.
Quoting wakymom:They get science in 1st and 2nd grade, but it's not like a separate class. It get intergrated in and of little experiments/projects in class. I never saw specific science papers come home, and they do not get a separate science grade.
It becomes a bigger part of their week starting in 3rd gr- ds2 has brought home a few science papers- but it still isn't a subject they get a grade on a report in. One way they incorporate it is that they work most of the yr on a specialty project: each kid picks an animal to learn about; they learn how to do basic research, do a power point, a tri-fold display board, different worksheet-type pages in a binder that tie it into other subjects (write 2 sentences using adverbs about your animal, make up some math word problems using your animal/facts about your animal, etc), and then have a big Specialty Fair in May to show off all their hard work. It's actually pretty cool : )
Our students do science starting in K, but they don't get graded on it until 3rd. Most of what they do in the primary grades is hands on so not much would come home and what does come home might not obviously be science related to someone who doesn't know the curriculum.
Even in the upper grades the emphasis is on hands learning and experiments. So very worksheets come home. But students do have tests and quizes.
Oh wow :/. Well, they don't do experiments the way I was taught, but they do go over weather. I teach a lot of sciencey stuff to Caden at home because he's far advanced anyways. He loves rocks, so we talk about rocks a lot :)
Is $75.00 a Week Cheap for a Summer Camp?
- ddhb2007
on Feb. 1, 2013 at 1:45 PM