While enrolled in courses within the South Western High School science department, students will be provided with opportunities to take risks in an environment where they feel comfortable developing solutions to practical, relevant problems. Students will be asked to construct an understanding of phenomena using core ideas from each of the main branches of science (life science, physical science and Earth and space science) while engaged in the scientific practices* and focused on cross-cutting concepts**.
Technology will play an integral role in the classrooms, along with a variety of teaching techniques and assessment practices to increase student engagement. Students will develop a working knowledge of scientific language, equipment use, and the operations of science. The program will encourage independent critical thinking and the application of knowledge to practical situations. The diverse selection of courses within the science department will ensure that students have multiple pathways to achieve their academic goals.
* Scientific Practices: asking questions, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematical and computational thinking, constructing explanations, engaging in an argument stemming from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.
** Cross-Cutting Concepts: patterns, cause and effect, scale, proportion, and quantity, systems and system models, energy and matter in systems, structure and function, and stability and change.