During this week at my internship at Glastonbury High School I discovered the in depth inclusion of science into the course curriculum at the elementary and middle schools level. I want to be a secondary education teacher focusing on biology and general science. Most of my experience has been at the high school level. I haven’t had a chance to observe an elementary teacher carrying out a lesson plan dealing with science. So I was kind of blown back when I saw the state’s science content curriculum for the elementary schools. I had no idea that the elementary teachers covered so many different aspects of science. I’m currently working with the Head of the Science Department to incorporate use of alternative source of energy in the science curriculum. The Glastonbury High School has solar panels in order decrease the energy consumption and the cost of electricity. Mr. Mayer (Head of the Science Department) wants to incorporate the data from the solar panels into the science curriculum. I had a chance to look at the science curriculum for K through 8 grades in detail so that I can make lesson plan that would include the data from the solar panels into the science curriculum. For example there is a unit in the third grade that concentrates on identification of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources. In the fourth grade there is unit that covers the topic that energy can be transferred or transformed. I am just surprised that the elementary teachers have to teach various different aspects of science in just one grade. I am just used to teaching different aspects of biology to the high school students. The elementary school teachers have to teach little bit of physics, biology, earth science and chemistry. I was just surprised that the elementary school teachers had to cover so many different topics of science in their curriculum.
I also discovered that the science curriculum will grow in the upcoming years at the elementary and the middle school levels. The last year was the first year that the State of Connecticut gave out a science CAPT test to the fifth grade students. Most of the students in the Glastonbury District did very well on the test. However, there were some students that were not able to pass the test. Glastonbury district is going to focus more on the science education this year in order the increase their school ranking and student comprehension of the science content in the elementary schools. I feel that because of the CAPT test all of the elementary schools are going to focus more on science education. Science will become a much more important component of elementary school education.
3 comments:
I agree with you that students and teachers are definitely going to have to pay more attention to science now that it is on the CMT. However, I have this nagging feeling that science is going to be a fourth and fifth grade endeavor to get prepared for the test, rather than a subject that is infused into the curriculum at all grade levels. I'm not sure. I just know that it is disappointing to see the lack of science and social studies in schools these days. This generation of students is missing out on some of the things that I loved most in school.
Just to clarify: CAPT is for high school and CMT is for elementary grades.
I saw something similar when Ohio mandated science testing for grade four. It was powerful because it required schools and teachers to address science. When these efforts were done thoughtfully, it was great. But in schools that were under scrutiny (because of past problems) which grade level assignments were the least popular? One school I worked in had newer teachers stuck with 4th grade because that's when kids were tested. It's a tricky proposition to require science testing.
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