Science

Elementary Science

Overview

Children are naturally curious. Why is night dark? Why is grass green? Why do astronauts need a space suit? Curiosity about the world is is at the heart of the human experience.

Learning about science allows children to both satisfy and fuel their curiosity. Everything is connected, so a question answered springs forth a dozen more. Students ask what things are made of, how things came to be, what happened before, what will happen next, and so on forever.

Our approach to science enables children to ask and answer questions in a way that is empowering. Building knowledge and connections for an integrated whole of knowledge, not just a string of disconnected “random facts.”

The goals of a rigorous science curriculum are two-fold

Learn “stuff.” Foundational content of biology, earth and space science, physics, chemistry, geology and anatomy. This information should be presented in a structured way, so as to be useful.
Engage in focused, evidential thinking. How to ask a good question, how to gather information, how to test a hypothesis, and come up with a conclusion. This scientific method helps not only scientists, but all critical thinkers in any field. From determining the speed of light, to the veracity of a news story.

“Progress and advancement in science did not depend merely on seeing things, but on seeing them armed with special preparation, special mental training.”
Maria Montessori, Creative Development in the Child, P. 82

Science isn’t a body of knowledge, it’s a way of thinking. A way of systematically interrogating the universe to discover what is true.

Our approach to science rests upon the scientific method, the process and pursuit of truth.

Our students practice careful observation will all five of their senses. They learn how to record their observations in a variety of ways- charts, sketches, writings- and then make inferences from those observations.

“He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.”
Maria Montessori

In our classrooms, science is primarily taught through hands-on experiments and activities. Children are naturally curious and we encourage their questions and help them find the answers.

The science area of the classroom is prepared in such a way that children can explore any topic of interest to them and to conduct experiments.

Further content is taught through demonstrations, experiments, stories, charts, and books. The curriculum moves through content units in a specific sequence (with lots of opportunity for passion projects based on the child’s individual interest), providing a solid foundation of scientific knowledge.

“We must fundamentally redesign how we teach reading by taking the focus off excessively practicing skills and strategies and putting it on deliberately building background knowledge of the world.”
Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap

In recent years, especially through the outstanding work of Natalie Wexler in The Knowledge Gap, knowledge and content-rich curriculum has be identified as one of the most important components of a quality educational program- this has been the foundation for the Montessori Method education for over 100 years!

The science curriculum at Rhyme and Reason Academy isn’t a special “add-on,” separate from the “important” academic subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, science is a foundational pillar of knowledge that children draw upon to practice those skills. When a particular kind of writing needs to be practiced, we look to our science and history materials to find something of interest, perhaps a biography of Isaac Newton? Or maybe a research report about the fastest animal? The child could write a haiku about a sprouting seed.

Without our science curriculum, reading, writing, and arithmetic would be hollow.

“Children indeed love flowers, but they need to something more than remain among them and contemplate their colored blossoms. They find their greatest pleasure in acting, in knowing, in exploring, even apart from the attraction of external beauty.”
Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child, P. 74

Though the child may never need to distinguish between a White Oak tree and a Red Oak tree in his or her adult career, the scientific skills developed in our botany curriculum will serve them for life.

Botany is an ideal gateway science because of its accessibility and familiarity to the child. Plants can be observed with all of the senses, they can be dissected, they can be looked at under a microscope.

Meaningful experiments can be accomplished with plants, manipulating variables and seeing outcomes, such as watering a plant with water or oil, or putting seeds in the refrigerator to sprout. What will happen?

Everyday Experiments

As part of the prepared environment, children may choose science experiments at any time.

Lower Elementary Curriculum

Biology

The Plant
First Knowledge of Plants
Parts of the Plant
Fundamental Needs of the Plant
How Plants Grow and Reproduce
Plant Life Cycles

The Leaf
Function and Parts of the Leaf
Types of Leaves
The Leaf as a Food Factory
Plants Grow Towards the Light, Leaf Arrangement
Plants Release Oxygen and Moisture

The Root
Function and Parts of the Root
Types of Roots
Roots Take Up Water for the Plant
Roots Secure Plants, Keep Soil in Place

The Stem
Function and Parts of the Stem
Stems Hold the Leaves Up to the Light
Stems Carry Water from the Roots and Nutrients from the Leaves
Geotropism

The Flower
Function and Parts of the Flower
Types of Flowering Plants
How Plants Ensure Pollination
The Plant and its Reproductive Parts

The Fruit
The Function and Parts of the Fruit
Types of Fruits

The Seed
The Function and Parts of the Seed
Types of Seeds Seed Dispersal

Animal Stories
First Knowledge of Animals
Who Am I? Stories Sorting Animals by Question

External Parts of Vertebrates
Adaptation Life Cycles of Animals
Beginning Animal Research

The Human Body
The Great River Story
Simple Body Systems

Relative proportion of the Sun to the Earth

Earth & Space Science

Composition of the Earth
Layers of the Earth
Functions of Earth’s Layers
Plate Tectonics
Mountain Formation
Rock Cycle and Formations

Sun and Earth
Relative Proportion of the Sun and Earth
Rotation of the Planets and Centrifugal Force
The Sun’s Energy

Planets of the Solar System
Names, Properties and Order of Planets
Interplanetary Distance
Rotation and Orbit of the Solar System

Earth’s Movements
Parts of the Day
Time Zones: Sunrise and Set
Lines of Latitude and Longitude
The International Date Line

Work of Air
Air Occupies Space
Warmer Air Moves Upward
Wind is Moving Air Circulating in a Pattern
Changing Seasons and Winds Erosion

Work of Water
The River and Its Parts
River Flows from Highlands to Low Lands
Erosion The Water Cycle

Weather and Climate
Rain and Water Vapors
Condensation
Local Conditions for Rain, Hail, Snow
Climates Around the World

Timeline of Life and The Long Black Strip

Physical Science & Scientific Inquiry

Great Stories
The Story of the Universe
The Coming of Life
Timeline of Life

Combining
Mixture, Suspension, Solution
Chemical Change Separating Saturation and Crystallization

States of Matter
Properties and Classification of Solids, Liquids, Gases
Which Way Solids, Liquids, Gases Push
Attraction and Gravity

Light and Sound Waves
Sources of Light Transparent
Translucent
Opaque Mirrors
Shadows
Sound
Vibration

Love of the World
Observation
Identifying and Describing Patterns
Asking Questions, Curiosity of How and Why It Works
Develop Models and Drawings

Scientific Process
Lab Safety
Structure of Scientific Testing Cycle
Collecting and Analyzing Data from Key Lab Experiments

Education for life

If you think Rhyme and Reason Academy would be a good fit for you and your family, then let’s start a conversation!

Let’s Chat

Research Reports