Welcome, ECFS families
Department Chair
Ben Horner | bhorner@ecfs.org
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
Descriptions by Grade Level
6th Grade science takes a place-based, integrated approach to the study of Environmental Science. Incorporating lenses of ethics and sustainability, students explore the many layers of environmental justice, conduct a field study of the Fieldston campus and utilize a combination of engineering and scientific practices to explore solutions to some of today's biggest environmental issues. Classes take place in science labs, in the engineering design studio, on the Green Roof, and throughout the campus.
The year is guided by the following essential questions:
- What does it mean to live sustainably?
- How do our interactions impact the living and nonliving parts of ecosystems?
- Where do we fit into Earth’s systems? How are we each connected to “science?”
- What does environmental justice look like and how can we stand up for it locally and globally?
- How can our observations of the local environment help us to learn about environmental issues affecting Earth?
- How can we use scientific understanding and the engineering process to build structures that will meet humans’ needs in a warming world?
The 7th Grade year focuses on life science. Students will refine their skills in observing, collecting, and interpreting data while studying a variety of organisms. They are expected to come to their own conclusions and share those findings with classmates as if they were professional scientists.
The year is guided by the following essential questions:
- What does it mean to be alive?
- How do living things maintain homeostasis and stay alive?
- How do traits get passed down from one generation to the next?
- Why are there so many different types of living things on planet Earth?
- Where did life come from? How did life evolve?
- In what ways is the human body ideally adapted to life’s needs? In what ways is it not?
The 8th Grade year builds on the 6th and 7th Grade experiences and focuses on the physical sciences and chemistry. Students study physical interactions, including Newtonian mechanics and energy. They also investigate the invisible world of atoms and molecules, exploring interactions between the seen world and the unseen.
The year is guided by the following essential questions:
- How can you predict how and why something moves?
- What is matter made up of and how can we tell?
- How do you investigate things you can’t see?
- How do matter and energy interact to form our world?
In the first year engineering course, students explore the key aspects of engineering and design through a fully project-based curriculum. Students learn how to go through the entire design process from ideation to a finished product. They learn how to draw like an engineer and use design and construction methods in a variety of materials including paper, cardboard, wood, and fabric. In past years, students have made robotic animals, designed their dream house using modeling software, learned physics concepts by assembling creative marble runs, and built mechanical cardboard automata. The key question that unifies the whole year is "How do engineers think?" The goal is for students to learn to approach problems creatively and to solve them effectively as individuals and members of a project team. Note that this is an elective course that meets twice per week.
Similar to Engineering I, students use the engineering and design process in an immersive, project-based curriculum. Students are given more freedom and independence in their projects and learn the tools and techniques they need to make their projects a reality. The overarching question for 8th grade engineering students is "How do engineers focus on details to improve their designs?" The focus is on learning to improve quality by becoming more precise and skilled in building objects. Past projects have included 3D design and printing, working with electrical circuits, the creation of cardboard furniture, and a "mystery box" project using robotic components to make a creative electronic puzzle. The year culminates with the Shark Tank project in which student teams design and build new products that they then present to a panel of "sharks" taken from Fieldston's wider community of teachers, administrators, parents, and people from the engineering field. It involves all the steps of the design process from assessing the needs of the community to design, prototyping, testing and marketing of the new product.
Frequently Asked Questions: Science Department
Is there a textbook?
- In the 6th Grade, all books will be loaned by ECFS. The books include: "Science Explorer Environmental Science" (Prentice Hall, Inc.) 2009, and "Science Explorer Earth’s Waters" (Prentice Hall, Inc.) 2009.
- In the 7th Grade, all books will be loaned by ECFS. The books include: "Science Explorer From Bacteria to Plants" (Prentice Hall, Inc.) 2009, "Science Explorer Cells and Heredity" (Prentice Hall, Inc.) 2009, and "Science Explorer Human Body and Health" (Prentice Hall, Inc.) 2009.
- In the 8th Grade, the required book is "Hewitt Conceptual Physical Science Explorations."
What skills are emphasized?
Learners engage in lab experiments, project-based learning, collaboration, individual and group activities, research projects, scientific writing, journaling, written reflection, and discussions. Middle School science students are encouraged to take risks, be curious, and think critically. Emphasis is placed on the presentation of ideas, as well as scientific literacy and writing with the understanding that communication is a fundamental skill. Students engage in activities that connect their science studies to their other coursework.
Throughout the Middle School years, students gain a deeper understanding of the nature of science and their interconnectedness to the world around them. Successful completion of the coursework curriculum will help students refine skills in observing, inferring, measuring, collecting, and analyzing data while also developing increasingly sophisticated critical thinking skills and are able to question data presented to them. The expectation is for students to establish their own conclusions and share those findings with classmates in verbal and written communications. By the end of the 8th Grade year, students are not only capable of discussing current issues in the field of science, but are proficient in supporting claims with evidence and analyzing problems. Students are empowered to engage with the larger scientific community by sharing their research, in addition to proposing creative solutions to problems to legislators.
What are the requirements for 9th Grade Intensive Biology?
Intensive Biology is for students with strong mathematical, analytical, reading comprehension, and writing skills. In order to be successful, students should be able to grasp difficult concepts quickly and comprehend abstract concepts, synthesize information, and apply knowledge to unique situations. It is strongly recommended that students taking Intensive Biology also are taking Mathematics 435 or 437.
What extracurricular opportunities are available for students interested in science?
7th and 8th Grade Urban Garden Club, 6th Grade Engineering Club, and 7th/8th Grade Engineering Club
How are the 7th and 8th grade Engineering electives graded?
Engineering students do not receive letter grades. The three options for grades in this class are credit, no credit, and incomplete. Students receive credit if they met the expectations of the class, no credit if they did not, and incomplete if they are still in the process of completing necessary work.
Do you have to take Engineering I to get into Engineering II?
No. While it is easier to do so, the first course is not a mandatory prerequisite for the second.
Can I enroll in Engineering and be in the Learning Center? (This would mean I miss one of my engineering classes each week.)
This is worked out on a case-by-case basis depending on the student's needs. While some students find that this is a very difficult balancing act to maintain, others manage it comfortably.
