The Oak Knoll science program is a hands-on, experiential based program that teaches the specific concepts, knowledge and skills outlined in the California Content Standards. We have designed a sequence of earth, life and physical science topics providing students the opportunity to learn by doing laboratory investigations and experiments, solving problems, researching supplemental texts, and receiving direct instruction. The emphasis is inquiry, asking meaningful questions, and conducting careful investigations.
In addition to acquiring knowledge and vocabulary essential to the units they are studying, as a child leaves Oak Knoll’s fifth grade he/she can:
- Develop a testable question.
- Plan and conduct a simple investigation based on a student developed question.
- Identify the dependent and controlled variable
- Select appropriate instruments and make quantitative observations
- Record data using appropriate graphic representations and make inferences based on those data.
- Draw conclusions from scientific evidence.
- Write a report of an investigation that includes conducting tests, collecting data or examining evidence, and drawing conclusions.
Units of study include:
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Kindergarten - Trees, Wood, Animals2x2
- Grade One - Solids and Liquids, Weather, Plants/Animal
- Grade Two - Balance and Motion, Pebbles Sand, & Silt, Insects and Plants
- Grade Three - Matter and Energy, Structure of Life, Sun, Moon and Stars
- Grade Four - Magnetism and Elect., Environments, Solid Earth
- Grade Five - Water Planet, Living Systems, Mixtures and Solut., Human Growth and Development