Science & Technology/Engineering Curriculum

Science and technology/engineering are essential studies for all students in the Belmont Public Schools. By integrating science and engineering practices with science content standards, students grow to understand the nature of science and to develop a strong, broad foundation in scientific literacy. Students are encouraged to refine their understanding through collaborative sense-making, make connections to what they learn in other classes and develop a scientific approach for exploring the world around them.  Students in all grades will work to: 

  • Ask and refine questions as they observe and explore natural phenomena

  • Construct a variety of models to represent their thinking

  • Plan and carry out investigations, including the collection and analysis of scientific data using mathematical and computational thinking 

  • Produce scientific explanations and technological solutions and

  • Communicate their findings and evidence clearly and effectively. 

It is our goal that students in Belmont do, create and explore science through collaborative and individual work. With frequent opportunities to observe and engage with our natural and physical world, students are guided to form connections between science concepts and their own experiences. In addition to our core content that spans the four main domains of Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering, students are taught to look for scientific concepts that apply across disciplines, such as cause and effect, structure and function, scale, proportion and quantity. To best prepare all students to be thoughtful, responsible, and engaged in the scientific discussions and decisions that they will face in their future, course work emphasizes skill development in evidence-based thinking and reasoning as well as communication of scientific ideas. 

The K-12 science and technology engineering curriculum is aligned with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Learning Standards, which are a state-based adaptation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). 

Elementary

Secondary, Grades 7 - 12