Courses in the Middle School Science Department facilitate exploration and experimentation so that students develop skills to think critically about the world around them. During the three-year course of study students have the opportunity to explore topics in environmental science and engineering (sixth grade), biology (seventh grade) and chemistry and physics (eighth grade). Further work in Engineering is available to students through electives in 7th and 8th grade. Students learn about historical perspectives of science as well as the diverse groups of people that have built the body of scientific knowledge. 

The program is housed in a LEED-certified building which offers spacious science laboratories. Classes also take advantage of the green roof and the expansive Fieldston campus. The different learning environments provide students with a variety of unique educational opportunities in which they can engage in fieldwork, research and inquiry.

We are committed to developing students who will independently:

• Understand the pillars of scientific inquiry: observation, inference, measurement, and collection and analysis of data

• Apply increasingly sophisticated critical thinking skills

• Question data presented to them

• Establish their own conclusions based on supporting evidence

• Recognize their own interconnectedness to the world around them

• Possess verbal and written communication skills to describe their class experiences and discoveries

• Understand abstract concepts

• Analyze problems and propose creative solutions in an ever-changing world

• Discuss current issues in the field of science

• Engage with the larger scientific community

• Contemplate the ethical dimensions behind scientific issues

Because we are committed to academic excellence, progressive education, and ethical learning, our instructional methods include:

• Classes that are student-centered and focus on helping students master science concepts and skills in a variety of ways

• Engagement in lab experiments, project-based learning, collaboration, individual and group activities, research projects, scientific writing, journaling, written reflection and discussions  

• Authentic experiential components, exploration of student interests, construction of models and the authoring of testable questions  

• Encouragement of curiosity and critical thinking

• Emphasis on the presentation of ideas, as well as scientific literacy and writing with the
  understanding that communication is a fundamental skill 

• Engagement in interdisciplinary activities that connect students’ science studies to mathematics as well as other coursework