During science time students work on the following skills:

• making detailed observations
• classifying and categorizing
• participating in investigations and experiments
• using and making models
• researching information

Science is integrated throughout the curriculum. Language arts and science intertwine when students learn and use new vocabulary, research topics, and write reports. We frequently integrate art when we create observation drawings and models. Math is integrated into our science curriculum by doing activities that involve measurement, sorting, and classifying.

We begin our theme work this fall with the unit Rocks and Minerals. We will visit Ruggles Mine to get some hands-on experience collecting samples. Students will observe and compare our samples carefully and use attributes to describe and categorize rocks and minerals. We will learn how rocks are formed, study the rock cycle and identify common types of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. We will end the unit with a trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History to view their wonderful collection of rocks and minerals. Students will use this knowledge as a springboard when we introduce our Brazil theme work with a look at Minas Gerais, the mining district.

Our spring theme will be Forest Habitats. The topics we plan to cover include:

• Learning about and comparing forest habitats in the US and Brazil.
• Investigating how forests have shaped the cultures of the US and Brazil.
• Investigating how human society has impacted the forests of the US and Brazil.
• Learning about the importance of forest conservation.
• Comparing forest conservation strategies in the US and Brazil.

We will explore the relationship between culture and environment through a variety of literature. Some of our work will focus on our home habitat at Fresh Pond. We may visit the Franklin Park Zoo to observe and learn about creatures that live in temperate and tropical forest habitats.