Science
Understanding the World
In education, we should point students towards what is true, good, and beautiful. Understanding the natural world plays a significant role in that. Our primary motivation for including science within the
classical curriculum is that it contributes to understanding ourselves and our surroundings.
Science is not an austere, foolproof method for acquiring factual truth, but is one of several important disciplines in the search for truth. As such, science is complementary to the humanities because they study different dimensions of truth and are both necessary to provide a satisfactory account of reality.
Science Rooted in Wonder
There are a few distinctive elements of science instruction in a classical school. Firstly, we emphasize scientific knowledge for its own sake. In other words, we do not want the students merely studying science as a means to an end, but rather because it is beautiful. When studying astronomy in first grade, we do not want to limit to scientific definitions of the chemical makeup of stars, but instead allow students to marvel at stars’ beauty and splendor in the night sky.
Secondly, science instruction in a classical school includes lessons steeped in the historical context and philosophy of the subject. Students, through encountering primary sources and conducting experiments of their own, will observe that science is a deeply human endeavor, one which requires high levels of patience, hard work, and optimism.
_-_Benjamin_Franklin_Drawing_Electricity_from_the_Sky.jpg)
Lifelong Love of Science
Our science curriculum begins in the elementary grades with a content rich program covering important ideas in the natural sciences in a coherent and orderly way. As students progress, we seek to avoid both early specialization (study for career preparation) and disordered or purposeless generalization.
By developing background knowledge and skills in the early grades, we can push students towards high achievement in science during upper elementary and middle school year. By focusing on knowledge for its own sake, we can maintain enthusiasm for science throughout primary and secondary education, fostering wonder, encouraging hard and careful work, and molding deep thinkers on their way to being well-educated citizens.
"'In our world,' said Eustace, 'a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.' 'Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.'"
- “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
