Science
The Foundations of Science
A strong foundation in science education enables students to increase their knowledge, skills and understanding of the worldinwhich they live-from their home to their community, state, country and world. Young children have natural capacities for inquiry which can be seen when they observe, sort and categorize objects. Students learn by building an understanding from simple investigations and by telling stories about what they did, what they found out and how part of their world works.
Students in the upper grades are able to design simple and comparative tests, analyze results and communicate their findings with others. As they progress, they can learn about cause and effect and how to record data describing those relationships. Their ability to inquire becomes more experimental and is much more advanced than simple comparative tests. Students generate hypotheses, conduct tests, and record and analyze data to find evidence for supporting or not supporting the orginal hypothesis.
"Science literacy is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity; the ability to read science articles for understanding ; the ability to evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it; and using appropriately technical terms or applying scientific concepts and processes." (National Science Resources Center)