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One of the main goals of the Middle School science program is to give students a systematized approach to laboratory work. Students are taught to keep neat, accurate notebooks, to record observations in words, and to work objectively using appropriate laboratory techniques and equipment. All Middle School students participate in the annual Science Fair each spring. Local field trips are included when appropriate. Students create Interactive Notebooks which are guided, personal reflections of and reactions to the topics of study throughout the year.
In sixth grade, the Life Science course focuses on several areas: biochemistry, the cell, genetics, evolution, ecology (enhanced by the annual Fahnestock field trip) and an examination of the plant and animal kingdoms utilizing dissections. Programs at the DNA Learning Center of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are incorporated into the course of study.
In seventh grade, the Physical Science course involves an investigative approach to the study of motion and force, electricity and magnetism, and sound and light. Laboratory activities stress the use of science process skills such as observing, classifying, measuring, communicating, inferring, predicting, collecting, making hypotheses, experimenting, interpreting data, and making and using models.
In eighth grade, the Earth Science course follows the NASA based Project 3D VIEW (Virtual Interactive Environmental Worlds) curriculum. Students study aspects of earth chemistry, oceanography, geology, and meteorology. Students develop a deeper understanding of the physical environment of their planet as well as people’s impact on it.
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