4 Reasons Why We Have Science Class in the Upper School

Lindsay McQueen

Lindsay McQueen

“Why are we doing math in science?” I hear this question every year in response to analyzing a data set. The question is a reminder of how it may be confusing to have separate subject classes in Upper School, following the transdisciplinary approach in Lower School. Teaching and learning in separate subject areas has many benefits in middle school. At the same time, it’s essential to combine knowledge, understanding, and skills from various subjects to create solutions for the future.

4 Reasons Why We Have Science Class in the Upper School

1. A Big Idea: Conservation of Matter

Here's a big idea in science: the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved. Developing a model to describe this idea is one of the Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) Performance Expectations for middle school and one that is particularly challenging because of the abstract concept of atoms. Yet, if we understand this big idea on a small scale—for example through the chemical reactions of combustion and photosynthesis—we can understand how human activity alters the cycling of matter on the planet. Approaching this big idea through the lens of a science class allows us to use equipment, models, and thinking routines to develop a deeper understanding of the concept.  

2. Using Equipment to Develop Understanding

To understand photosynthesis as a chemical reaction in the sixth grade classroom, we use gas sensors to measure the amount of carbon dioxide gas and oxygen gas in a closed chamber filled with spinach leaves. Using equipment to collect data is invaluable for a middle school scientist. Only when learners physically see the carbon dioxide levels decrease and the oxygen levels increase—when spinach leaves are in the sun—do they have the opportunity to reason from evidence about why the gas levels change.

3. Using Models to Develop Understanding

To understand combustion as a rearrangement of atoms, we use colored beads to model the reaction of a candle burning and identify carbon dioxide as a product of all combustion reactions. The visual and kinesthetic learning experience of putting beads together and taking them apart models how it is possible for matter to undergo chemical change, even though the number of atoms stays the same. This idea on the small scale can then be applied to the larger scale of the cycling of matter, and carbon in particular, through the four Earth spheres: air, water, land, and life.

4. Using Thinking Routines to Develop Understanding

Using thinking routines is an additional way to deepen understanding of big ideas in the science classroom. For example, we used the routine “Claim-Support-Question” following an interactive experience that modeled the movement of carbon between air, water, land, and life. Through this thinking tool, learners provide support for their own claims and ask additional questions to further their inquiry. Discussing an open ended question in a group seminar gives sixth grade scientists the opportunity to negotiate knowledge with their peers and make sense of big scientific ideas.

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Why We Should Care About Science

Science addresses questions about the natural world and the more we understand the natural and material world, the more we recognize the impact of humans on the Earth system as a whole.

Science addresses questions about the natural world and the more we understand the natural and material world, the more we recognize the impact of humans on the Earth system as a whole. In Upper School Science, we use our understanding of chemical reactions to explain why burning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We use our understanding of photosynthesis to recognize why forests and oceans are essential carbon sinks. At the same time we debate whether it is necessary to have a scientific understanding in order to make sensible decisions for the future. Using the routine, Tug for Truth, learners had the opportunity to think for themselves about the value of scientific learning. The beauty of this thinking routine is that there isn’t one universal truth. Here are two different perspectives written by sixth graders this year:

“You don’t need to know the science to know how to take care of the planet. I didn’t know the science before this (well, not a lot any way) and I knew to try to limit my carbon footprint. All I need to know is that the planet is warming, so then I want to go green with energy.”

“Absolutely, a scientific understanding of carbon is essential to making sensible decisions because people need reasons to change. We need to persuade them with facts.”

Both statements can be true and allow for diverse approaches to complex issues related to human impact on the environment.  

Why Science On Its Own Isn’t Enough

As the NGSS notes, “Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes.” This is why connecting science to other subjects and disciplines is essential for a holistic approach to problem finding and problem solving. This year, the sixth graders inquired into environmental justice through the lens of fairness, development, and ethics in both Individuals and Societies class and Science class. They immersed themselves in rigorous research in Individuals and Societies and explored how to become agents of change. In Science, learners applied their knowledge and understanding of the problem to generate ideas for solutions. Developing skills and knowledge in subject specific classes and making connections between disciplines offers opportunities for a more complex understanding of the parts, people, and interactions within a system. Inventing fair and ethical solutions allows us to imagine a hopeful future.

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Lindsay McQueen

Lindsay McQueen

Lindsay McQueen teaches middle school science at Whitby School. She is passionate about using and developing meaningful ways to engage middle schoolers in caring for all spheres of the planet through the lens of science.