Science
Science Curriculum Overviews
Science
Welcome to the science program page!
The Greenwich Public Schools Science Program is designed to promote best practices of science and engineering education aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) while fostering interdisciplinary connections between Science, Language Arts, Math and Technology. The focus of the new NGSS curriculum is aligned with the Vision of the Graduate and embodies a student-centered inquiry approach. Grounded in the NGSS authentic science and engineering practices, students will engage in rigorous, real-world issues and with state-of-the art design challenges.
Reaffirming the U.S. Department of Education’s position, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in the Greenwich Public Schools recognizes that student success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, and that it’s more important than ever for our youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. Thus, STEM education for all students is fundamental for college and career readiness and to develop as productive members of society.
Elementary School
ALP Science:
For information about the 3-5 Advanced Learning Program, please visit the program webpage.
Middle School
Overview
Greenwich Public Schools science curriculum is fully aligned with the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS).
NGSS is designed with an emphasis on three key components. As students explore Disciplinary Core Ideas - such as those listed above - they build on their skills in the following Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions.
In addition to engaging in the science and engineering practices, students build upon their knowledge of the following Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect, Scale, Proportion, and Quantity, Systems and System Models; Energy and Matter; Structure and Function, and Stability and Change. Taken together, Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and the Crosscutting Concepts comprise the core of NGSS.
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Middle School Advanced Science
Overview
At the end of grade 5, teacher recommendation based on qualitative and quantitative data is used for placement into the Advanced Science Pathway for grade six. In addition to historical student performance on the Math/ELA SBAs, the building advisory committee also considers in class science performance. A reflection of student performance is based on a standardized rubric of teacher “look-fors” for placement in the school year. The rubric includes teacher assessment of student skills as evidenced by grade 5 science performance tasks, student science notebooks, and the ability to achieve within grade level end-band markers of the eight science and engineering practices.
Placement into the Advanced Science Pathway in grades 7 and 8 is based on student academic achievement on previous pathways, historical NGSS scores, and performance on district ELA/math benchmarking assessments, grades in their current science class, short performance assessments (SPAs) completed throughout the curriculum and performance on NGSS aligned Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs). Administrative input, cumulative grade averages, teacher recommendations, school counselors’ recommendations, and parent recommendations are also considered.
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
High School