Science

Science—and therefore science education—is central to the lives of all Americans. A high-quality science education means that students will develop an in-depth understanding of content and develop key skills—communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility—that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives.

Hartford Public School students actively engage in the practices of science and engineering in order to develop a deep understanding of the disciplinary core ideas and the cross-cutting concepts. As a result, they will develop the thinking skills required to be critical consumers of scientific information related to their everyday lives, engage in public discussion on science related issues, and continue to learn about science throughout their lives.

The Department’s mission is to prepare students to live meaningful lives as productive and scientifically literate citizens who are prepared to meet the expectations in college and careers by becoming critical thinkers, collaborators, communicators, problem-solvers, and innovators while demonstrating self-direction and resourcefulness.

 

 

Curriculum


Kindergarten

  • Our Five Senses
  • Living and Non-living Things
  • Weather Watchers

Grade 1

  • Shadows
  • Plants
  • Animals
  • Forces and Motion
  • Life Cycles

Grade 2

  • Matter Matters
  • Read Between the Labels
  • Dirt Under Your Feet
  • Bloom It Up!

Grade 3

  • Lab Safety and Scientific Inquiry
  • Properties of Matter
  • Organisms and their Environment
  • Earth Materials and Resources

Grade 4

  • Lab Safety and Scientific Inquiry
  • Forces in Motion
  • Interdependence Between Living and Non-Living
  • Water and the Earth’s Surface
  • Electricity and Magnetism

Grade 5

  • Lab Safety and Scientific Inquiry
  • Sound
  • Light
  • Human Perception and Stimuli
  • Humans and Technology
  • Motions of Earth in the Solar System
  • Water

Grade 6

  • Lab Safety and Scientific Inquiry
  • Geological Features
  • Changes in the Earth’s Surface
  • Ecosystems: Interactions
  • Food Chains, Food Webs and Energy
  • Water
  • Water Pollution and Water Quality
  • Transfer of Energy and Weather Patterns

Grade 7

  • Human Body Organization and Cell Structure
  • Musculoskeletal
  • Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
  • Digestive Systems
  • Motion and Speed
  • Forces Friction Gravity
  • Newton’s Laws
  • Bridges

Grade 8

  • Energy and Work
  • Simple Machines
  • Solar System
  • Changes in Matter
  • Elements of the Periodic Table
  • DNA and Mitosis
  • Reproduction and Meiosis
  • Mendel and Genetics
  • Environmental Science

Physical Science

  • Laboratory Safety, Atoms and Matter
  • Periodic Table and Chemical Bonding
  • Carbon Chemistry and Polymers
  • Fossil Fuels, Carbon Cycle, Thermal Energy
  • Electricity
  • Environmental and Global Issues

Biology

  • Chemistry of Life
  • Ecology/Populations
  • Cell Structure and Function
  • Mendelian Genetics
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Viruses and Bacteria
  • Evolution

Chemistry

  • Periodicity
  • Bonding
  • Formulas and Shapes of Compounds
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Reactions and Equations
  • Moles and Stoichiometry
  • Gasses and Solutions

Physics

  • Laboratory Safety, Atoms and Matter
  • Periodic Table and Chemical Bonding
  • Carbon Chemistry and Polymers
  • Fossil Fuels, Carbon Cycle, Thermal Energy
  • Electricity
  • Environmental and Global Issues


 

Resources

CT State Department of Education – Science Dept. resources and links from the CSDE site

Next Generation Science Standards web site

CT Science Supervisors’ Association – The mission of the CSSA is to improve communications among science supervisors, teachers, administrators, … which it co-sponsored with the Connecticut Science Teachers Association.

National Science Teachers’ Association – The NSTA web site has extensive collection of information about the teaching of science.

CT Science Center – With 150 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events, the Connecticut Science Center offers endless exploration for children, teens, and adults.

NSF Resources – Resources and findings generated through educational research and development projects funded in part by the National Science Foundation

PhET Interactive Simulations – Free educational simulations covering a diverse topics designed by the University of Colorado available in various languages.

The National Science Digital Library – The NSDL is the nation’s online library for education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

 

 

CONTACTS

Sandra Inga, Ph.D. STEM Director 860-695-8733 IngaS001@hartfordschools.org