New Science Curriculum Empowers Exploration for K – 3 Students
SHALER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
New Science Curriculum Empowers Exploration for K – 3 Students
haler area school district SHALER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Beginning this year, primary students in the Shaler Area School District will begin to experience a hands-on approach to science that will kindle the curiosity of our youngest learners and equip them with problem-solving skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Pilot K – 3 classrooms will begin utilizing Twig science curriculum. According to publishers, Twig is“ a phenomena-based core science program that embraces the investigative, hands-on nature of the NGSS [ Next Generation Science Standards ], presented through award-winning, real-world STEM storylines that inspire and capture students’ imaginations.”
This approach is part of a broader shift in education away from lecture and rote memorization to hands-on, project-based learning. The goal is not only for students to know the answer, but to understand how they got there, grasping the concept as a whole. Dr. Brian Brown, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, shares,“ This method helps students build a sense of why things happen the way they do. We want to empower them to imagine, explore, and investigate. We are teaching kids how to think.”
A similar approach to math was adopted last year in the school district with great success. Dr. Brown notes,“ I’ m excited when kids get an opportunity to explore the world around them, to make sense of their own space and their own environment. Kids benefit from hands-on learning. Their excitement is contagious and propels their academic performance now and in the future.”
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