Curriculum - Science

The purpose of teaching science at the Lower School is to instill in students an appreciation for the process and content of science. Students study science using a hands-on, inquiry-based approach. This approach allows students to develop and use process skills in order to gain a scientific body of knowledge. Such skills include observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, predicting, inferring, communicating, formulating hypotheses, designing investigations, collecting and interpreting data, and recognizing variables.

In Beginners, science is taught by the classroom teachers and is integrated into social studies, language arts and art activities.

In Kindergarten through Grade 5, students meet with science specialists in small groups and balanced attention is given to following the main branches of science: life science, earth science, chemistry and physics. Sample topics from these grades include acids and bases, insects, magnets, geology, electricity, bones, and growing seeds. During the first semester of the Fifth Grade, students participate in a four-day outdoor education experience at the School's property in Southern New Hampshire.

In Grade 6, the science program is a survey of elementary human anatomy and physiology in which various health issues are explored. This curriculum provides students with a comprehensive overview of the human respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive and reproductive systems.