Liberal arts majors have a common misbelief that retaining knowledge is just memorizing facts. Its not. In most areas of science, critical thinking only occurs when there is a solid foundational understanding of the core information. It isn't just doing doing reading comprehension exercises or write about what you saw.

The curriculum is designed by mediocre education majors who never understood science. They probably did just memorize facts because they did poorly in science. Schools with better science curriculums teach kids how to study, apply and remember the knowledge that they learned, and move forward with a greater understanding of the actual subject. This doesn't exist in MCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe that's third grade. My middle school kid gets zero materials or hand-on work in science other than worksheets.

You either aren't in MCPS or you go to a very unusual MS. MS science curriculum in MCPS is awesome. Totally hands on, very varied and informative. I was completely and totally impressed when my oldest went through the MS curriculum.

I think not everyone has the same experience in MCPS. Our child's MS science for the last 3 years has been really appalling -- very weak teachers, real lack of rigor, very low expectations, very low level of reading in science texts, lab experiments have been weak.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe that's third grade. My middle school kid gets zero materials or hand-on work in science other than worksheets.

You either aren't in MCPS or you go to a very unusual MS. MS science curriculum in MCPS is awesome. Totally hands on, very varied and informative. I was completely and totally impressed when my oldest went through the MS curriculum.

I think science is one area where MoCo varies wildly and dramatically in each school and from year to year.

In our local school, there is no science teacher and no science curriculum. It is "integrated" in to the Language arts time.

We've gone elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:All of my son's science work that comes home looks exactly like language assignments. I spoke to the teacher about this. She said that in 2.0 it is integrated and the kids are never tested or expected to remember the science information. They just need to be able to write about what they read or did.

We switched from a private school where the kids would have tests or assignments where you need to remember the science information and actually understand what is happening. Why does MCPS only teach language?

Science actually isn't just memorizing facts. (Although I do agree that it is important to know science facts.) Science is also finding out about stuff in natural world. If your son is finding out about stuff in the natural world, he is doing science.

Also, you don't say what grade your son is in. I can say with certainty that there were no science tests in grades K-3 in my children's school before Curriculum 2.0.

My 7th grader is getting lots of varied assignments including lab reports, tests on material, Discover Science assignments ... it seems really good.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe that's third grade. My middle school kid gets zero materials or hand-on work in science other than worksheets.

Your middle-school kid isn't in Curriculum 2.0.

Maybe that's third grade. My middle school kid gets zero materials or hand-on work in science other than worksheets.

Hmmm, I observed a science class yesterday in 5th grade, and I was actually pleased--the kids were planning a physics experiment, and were being asked to come up with a hypothesis, plan the experiment, identify dependent and independent variables, etc., in a study of force and mass. I thought they seemed interested in the lesson and engaged in the planning (at least the group I observed). I don't know what tests they will have--I guess it was covered at back to school, but I don't remember. I agree there should be some testing in preparation for middle school, but I don't remember it being a huge focus last year under the old curriculum either.

What I don't like is the absence of correction of language on writing/reading work. Last year, there was a big emphasis on writing improvement, and this year, there appears to be none. THis was discussed at the curriculum meeting--it was definitely stressed that the curriculum has moved away from rewriting--but I don't think I understood that there would be nothing. And believe me, my child needs some corrections on his writing!

Anonymous wrote:10:42 no they don't have to remember anything. If they have a "test" it is with the reading assignment. Its basically no different than the worksheets you find in reading comprehension and writing books. The subject is just science. If they do a project or experiment, they write about when they are doing it or right afterwards.

This is much different than actually studying the material, retaining the knowledge, and understanding how it works without just rewording from a passage. I think some parents get fooled because they see a science related topic and a science tab in the kid's notebook. This isn't science.

ohhhhhhhh...ook
my 3rd grader is doing experiments
doing a pp on on the enviroment
doing classwork writing assignments in which DC has to pull out facts from the text to write about and answer the questions on the worksheet
my kid is learning science
perhaps your school is doing something different

10:42 no they don't have to remember anything. If they have a "test" it is with the reading assignment. Its basically no different than the worksheets you find in reading comprehension and writing books. The subject is just science. If they do a project or experiment, they write about when they are doing it or right afterwards.

This is much different than actually studying the material, retaining the knowledge, and understanding how it works without just rewording from a passage. I think some parents get fooled because they see a science related topic and a science tab in the kid's notebook. This isn't science.

Anonymous wrote:All of my son's science work that comes home looks exactly like language assignments. I spoke to the teacher about this. She said that in 2.0 it is integrated and the kids are never tested or expected to remember the science information. They just need to be able to write about what they read or did.

We switched from a private school where the kids would have tests or assignments where you need to remember the science information and actually understand what is happening. Why does MCPS only teach language?

My advice, and I don't say this glibly, is get them back into private if you can swing it. We just pulled our MS kid from a GTLD program due to the breathtaking lack of rigor, content, and enrichment. No homework, no text books, just worksheets.

1) I think you are a troll

2) If they have to write about what they read, it stands to reason they have to remember it in order to write about it ...doesn't it??

That is not an accurate representation. DD has science tests where she is expected to have learned the science. She is in Third grade, but it was true last year as well.

All of my son's science work that comes home looks exactly like language assignments. I spoke to the teacher about this. She said that in 2.0 it is integrated and the kids are never tested or expected to remember the science information. They just need to be able to write about what they read or did.

We switched from a private school where the kids would have tests or assignments where you need to remember the science information and actually understand what is happening. Why does MCPS only teach language?