Science in the Middle School

The Curriculum of Science in the Middle School

During the junior high years, there are a variety of scientific subjects that may be taught. However, the most common are physical, earth, and life science, giving students their firmest understanding thus far of how the world came to be, how we all function in it, and most importantly – what we can do to preserve and restore it.

Middle school science is the first time lessons become “hands on” with very basic laboratory assignments and more interactive group work than ever before. Students are challenged and if a school is teaching in an innovative way, many individuals who go on to major in the sciences in college credit their first spark of interest to a particular middle school teacher.

In life science, students learn about living things and focus on the very basics of organisms and cells. DNA and evolution may also be taught during these years. Students also learn the classification of all life including members of the plant kingdom, animal kingdom, and the ecological system in which we all live.

A firmer understanding of the human body is also gained, as young people learn about everything from digestion and proper nutrition, to more complex issues such as reproduction and respiration.

In earth science, students learn about the various layers of the planet as well as what it is composed of. Minerals, fossils, mountains, plains and plateaus are all focused upon, and kids may also learn how to read maps as well as draw their own.

The hydrosphere and atmosphere are usually also covered, giving youngsters a chance to understand the various types of clouds and how the changes in weather take place. Earth science is oftentimes the subject that grips the attention of middle-schoolers the most, as it is easily applied knowledge they experience around them on a daily basis.

Lastly, physical science, quite possibly the most challenging of all taught science in the middle school, is presented through textbooks and demonstrations. Atoms and states of matter are common curriculum topics, as is the basis and source of energy. Gravity is also a point of interest, as very basic physics lessons are taught. Lastly, the periodic table of elements is discussed and memorized.

Promoting Scientific Interest

While some students find science to be fascinating, the majority of young people do not hold an active interest in this subject past middle school. By the time high school winds down, many have regained a focus on its importance and declare a scientific major once college bound. However, the majority of these students are male.

Why do girls lose interest in math and science so easily? What can we do to peak their interest and encourage them to succeed just as easily as their male classmates?

Some researchers actually credit the lost desire to genetics – stating girls are not genetically made up with the same inclination to succeed in the sciences as boys do. Many people argue this is an urban myth, as if that were the case, no females would succeed.

It does seem, however, that girls are culturally conditioned to lean more toward artistic subjects rather than math and science. From a young age, we encourage our girls to be social and to place more of a mental emphasis on languages. In fact, when college admittance tests designed their science placements to be more language oriented, girls scored higher than previously.

Since little boys are more exposed to building blocks and computer games at an early age, it is no wonder they grow up to be engineers and graphic designers at a faster rate than little girls of the same generation who were handed dolls and tea sets.

What can we do to encourage girls and change this mentality? One important step is to encourage girls to step out of the cultural norm and explore what truly interests them – rather than follow in the path of what they might think to be expected of them. Another move toward progress is to gauge the atmosphere in common rooms such as school computer labs. Many middle schools have found their labs to be “testosterone driven”, making them unappealing and downright intimidating to many young ladies. Schools have begun to make female-friendly nooks with technology incorporated into the setting to make computers and science friendlier to females – and it has worked. Percentages between male and female middle schoolers interested in science have evened out and the progress only continues.

Always take the time to teach the young females in your life that science in the middle school is important to their future and they have as much a right as anyone to take advantage of their opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

Budget Cuts

Unfortunately science classes in junior high settings are suffering continuously from state budget cuts. Another way to peak a student’s interest in science is to get them actively involved in the planning and execution of various fundraisers designed to benefit the school’s scientific resources. This gives all students a feeling of ownership and responsibility toward subjects they obviously would not care anything about.

Budget cuts can also be reduced by parents speaking up about how important they believe science in the middle school to be. When an even emphasis is placed upon arts and the sciences, students will be more inclined to explore both options. This is especially true when the resources are there.

There is no way to motivate a child of middle school age unless they are ready to be molded and inspired. Fortunately, many desire such an opportunity.