• Science & Technology 

     

    At Emerson, our teachers use the FOSS science curriculum, a research-based science curriculum developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley. The FOSS program materials are designed to meet the challenge of providing meaningful science education for all students in diverse American classrooms and to prepare them for life in the 21st century. Development of the FOSS program was, and continues to be, guided by advances in the understanding of how youngsters think and learn. 
     
    Science is an active enterprise, made active by our human capacity to think. Scientific knowledge advances when scientists observe objects and events, think about how they relate to what is known, test their ideas in logical ways, and generate explanations that integrate the new information into the established order. Thus the scientific enterprise is both what we know (content) and how we come to know it (process). The best way for students to appreciate the scientific enterprise, learn important scientific concepts, and develop the ability to think critically is to actively construct ideas through their own inquiries, investigations, and analyses. The FOSS program was created to engage students in these processes as they explore the natural world. 
     
    At Emerson, we are preparing our students for the technology driven world that we live in. We have a dedicated technology teacher, Mikayla Logan (Ms. Mikayla), who works with all grades. All classes TK-5th grade attend technology at least once a week. Mouse skills, typing, beginner coding, and computer basics are the main goals for TK and Kindergarten while in first and second grade we build on those skills, explore coding more, and are introduced to the basics of word processing. In third, fourth, and fifth grade we continue to work on our typing speed and accuracy through programming but also through projects aligned with curriculum. We are exploring Google docs, Google slides, responsible research, more challenging coding, test prep, and manipulating images. This spring, students will get to explore technology through the use of codable robots!  All students focus on their math skills with an online program created by the MIND research institute called ST Math. ST Math is a visual instructional program that builds a deep understanding of math through rigorous learning and creative problem solving to engage, motivate and challenge students toward higher achievement. Our students all go through a Digital Citizenship program each year to learn internet safety and responsibility.