Science Curriculum

The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Science Curriculum

Science Philosophy

From nursery through high school, students at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools engage in a study of science that promotes scientific understanding and habits of mind that enable them to make sense of how the natural and designed worlds work.

The work that students do at every grade level is hands on, collaborative, built upon observation and problem solving. We intend to stimulate and support students as they build an understanding of what science has shown us about the world and their own skills in thinking and working like scientific researchers.

Students encounter important concepts repeatedly, achieving a deeper understanding and a greater degree of skill with each encounter.

Equal emphasis is placed on developing knowledge of key science concepts and the ability to think critically and independently. Through exposure to the methods and tools of science students gain insight into the way scientists go about their work and come to reach their own scientific conclusions. Collaborative activities and laboratory experiences at each grade level allow students to apply prior knowledge and deepen their understanding through manipulation, observation and data collection. Mathematics is utilized as an important means for studying, understanding and expressing patterns and relationships.

With the ability to understand the principles on which the universe on large and small scales seems to operate and the capacity for applying scientific reasoning, students can build upon their knowledge over a lifetime, evaluate alternative explanations of events, make sensible decisions based on evidence, and promote the common good or the pursuit of knowledge through participation in the scientific enterprise.

Nursery and Kindergarten

The science curriculum in nursery and kindergarten builds on the young child's interest in the natural world, curiosity, enthusiasm and sense of wonder. A fundamental goal of our program is to respond to and nourish these qualities through an approach that actively engages their interests and enhances their powers of inquiry, observation and reflection. All activities emphasize a hands-on, inquiry based approach and integrate science with math, language arts and the arts. Children ask questions about their world, seek information and answers to their questions from a variety of resources, make observations about the environment, predict outcomes based on their observations, and collect data. All classes have pets and opportunities to experience the pleasure and responsibilities of caring for them. In kindergarten all classes learn about life cycles by observing and studying the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly.

Lower School

First and Second Grades
In first and second grades, students will build upon the excitement and curiosity about science they developed in N/K. The activities in first and second grades are tangible and interactive in order to foster observational skills, curiosity, respect for evidence, objectivity, open-mindedness and the ability to think critically. In each classroom, students engage in scientific inquiry that allows them to investigate, gather, and organize and synthesize information. In particular, children begin to develop an interest in understanding their relationship to their environment and then to communicate their understanding using a variety of methods (lists, murals, graphs, cycles). Students also begin to compare and describe objects in terms of attributes such as number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion.

Third and Fourth Grades
In third and fourth grades, science instruction becomes more formal. For the first time, students are taught by science specialists in a dedicated science classroom. Activities emphasize the development of scientific habits of thought. Students improve their ability to observe carefully, measure accurately, record data systematically, and make sensible inferences and predictions. These skills help students begin to describe and analyze their world in more formal, abstract ways. In fourth grade, students begin to study the basics of formal experimentation.

Middle School

Students in middle school engage in more formal experimentation based on the scientific method. In fifth and sixth grades especially, students formulate hypotheses, identify variables, interpret and graph data, and utilize metric measurements. In addition to more formal experience with science processes, students in middle school also begin a rigorous study of content as they transition to a program that emphasizes science reading as well as experimentation.

Fifth Grade
In fifth grade students investigate topics in life, physical, and earth sciences through experimentation, hands on activities, and cooperative problem solving. In the unit Predicting Dissolving Rates, students develop hypotheses based on a study of kinetic molecular motion and their own observations. They collaborate in small groups to write procedures, conduct experiments, and collect and interpret data. In the Machines unit, students learn about gear systems, then design and create their own machines. Following a study of electromagnetism and electronics, students make model motors and investigate the workings of appliances. During the Ocean unit, students in cooperative groups pool their knowledge of marine biology, geology, physical oceanography and ecology to solve practical problems related to the ocean. In the Plant unit students learn plant anatomy and physiology and design and conduct controlled experiments.

Sixth Grade
The objective of the sixth grade science program is to teach skills and processes utilized in the study of science as well as substantive scientific concepts. In 6th grade students investigate the Sun, Earth and Moon and how their relative motions influences natural cycles such as the seasons, hours of sunlight and phases of the Moon. Newton's laws of motion and other concepts involving forces and motion are investigated through textbook readings and hands-on experience as students design and build motorized model cars. Students learn about the structure and function of the cell and its organelles by building a nine-foot inflatable model. They learn basic concepts of Mendelian genetics through experimentation with fruit flies and cross-pollination of plants. In our chemistry unit, sixth grade students investigate the chemistry several common gasses, which they collect from various chemical reactions.

Seventh Grade
In seventh grade science, students are exposed to scientific methodology through laboratory work, reading, writing, and field trips. Students investigate topics in environmental science in the fall and focus on an in-depth study of human anatomy and physiology in the winter and spring. Data collection techniques are enhanced by a field trip to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to study the different environments created by sand dune succession. Through textbook reading, lab activities and Internet research, students learn principals of environmental science and how they relate to the real world. Seventh grade students learn about the structure and function of the organ systems of the human body. Wellness is explored through a nutrition unit and through a unit on human sexuality. Students also explore and gain a deeper understanding of anatomy and physiology through dissection of the fetal pig.

Eighth Grade
Eighth grade science is a hands-on, laboratory-driven course that uses its topic, Earth Science, to reinforce concepts from physics, biology, and chemistry. The course covers such topics as matter, minerals and rocks, topographic maps, plate tectonics, erosional processes, and weather. Students work with various types of laboratory equipment for data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Graphing of laboratory information is a skill that is particularly emphasized, as understanding the correct format for graphs is expected in the high school science classes.

High School

In the high school, students begin formal, sequential study of biology, chemistry and physics in year-long courses offered at both the introductory and advanced levels. In addition to the core program, a series of quarter-long electives allows students to pursue their interests and study a variety of specialized scientific topics. The coursework is organized in a sequence that coincides with and nurtures the student's ability to abstract and to apply higher mathematical skills. The main objective of the science program is to train the students to think as scientists think, but we do not neglect to build a strong foundation of fundamental scientific knowledge. The primary tools of instruction are laboratory work, the design, analysis and interpretation of experiments, the mathematical analysis of problems, and the synthesis of different scientific concepts into a coherent view of nature. Appropriate episodes from the history of science are discussed so that students will appreciate that science is ultimately about questions and process, and not merely a collection of facts.

The aim of the department is to produce graduates who can intelligently evaluate statements which claim to have a basis in scientific research, take post-secondary courses in any scientific discipline they may choose and participate productively in discussions of the implications of scientific knowledge for the decisions individuals and the society must make.

We hope that we inspire students to continue their studies in science well beyond the Laboratory Schools, but even if they do not, we believe they will be well served as citizens by what they have learned here.