Science stimulates and excites students' curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It is a form of knowledge that seeks to describe and explain the natural and physical world and its place in the universe.
Science is not only a body of language--it is “a way of knowing and thinking”. Science involves exploration, experimentation, observation, measurement and analysis and the dissemination of data. These activities require specific skills and habits of mind. The Science curriculum at YCIS is designed to develop these skills--it trains students to seek answers to questions using the scientific method of enquiry.
Science is part of the curriculum called Integrated Studies. It is often taught with History and Geography and because of time restraints, not all topics listed in this curriculum are taught each year. Usually two Science topics and one History/ Geography topic are covered each term.
The students will develop skills, processes and knowledge related to:
- Life processes and living things
- Materials and their properties
- Physical processes
The aims of the Science programme are to:
- Develop the skills, processes, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific enquiry;
- Provide an understanding of how major scientific ideas contribute to change and the impact that these changes have upon our quality of life;
- Understand the basic concepts of Science and provide for the use of appropriate vocabulary in a range of contexts;
- Relate and integrate scientific knowledge to other subjects and to the world outside the school;
- Develop generalising and hypothesizing skills and processes and the effective and accurate presentation of these concepts in both oral and written forms;
- Recognise the hazards and risks involved when studying Science and the importance of observing safety procedures when handling chemicals and hazardous equipment.
