To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.

-- Albert Einstein

The Science and Technology Department believes that by fostering an understanding of STEM concepts and skills we will enable our students to hold the key to the future. Our program challenges students to build a strong foundation in science and engineering through our middle school program while our high school program offers an impressive suite of courses to continue their learning through core and elective courses, advanced courses, and college credit-bearing 4-course Engineering program.

We are committed to designing student experiences in science and engineering that leverage a student's own innate curiosity and fascination with the world around them and draws on their individual interests, strengths, and learning styles. Students need to understand science not only to open up doors to potential careers but to navigate the world in which we live. As science teachers, we are in the business of preparing students to think critically, develop a firm grasp on technology and work towards understanding systems. We believe that science and engineering, above all else, must be fun, engaging, relevant, and interactive with the students take responsibility for their own learning. All of our programs integrate current technology to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning. Finally, it is the goal of the Science Department that students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of science and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

There are exciting changes coming to the science curriculum in Bedford that will continue the tradition of setting Fox Lane Science apart and giving our students an edge in the 21st century. A new and innovative science curriculum will be a unique opportunity for middle school students to explore the history of scientific discovery and innovation as they pursue solutions to problems we are faced with today. Students will learn about Life science, Earth science, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering in a series of three foundational courses that challenge students to learn, explore, and apply their understanding as they “re-visit” the time, place, people, and context for important discoveries and innovations throughout history. A new 9th-grade course is also under development and will be piloted starting September 2017. This course will engage students in analyzing and addressing real-world problems that require an understanding of systems that exist within our cells, bodies, populations, local community, planet, and the universe. The course represents a journey that examines our connection to the natural world and the interdependence of the Earth systems and its inhabitants.

Science Coordinator: Paul Frisch
pfrisch1269@bcsdny.org
914-241-6043

Middle School Program Overview
In sixth grade, students are introduced to middle school science through an integrated earth and environmental science curriculum. The ‘big ideas’ of science are studied through units on water quality, cycles, weather and climate, rocks and minerals, astronomy, and ecology. Experiences that enable students to develop and refine measurement and science inquiry skills are woven into each unit.

The seventh-grade curriculum shifts students’ focus to life science (biology). Students continue their study of ecology and develop an understanding of the differences and similarities among all living things. Major topics of study include life processes, cells, genetics, classification and human body systems.

Physics and chemistry are the main concentrations in eighth grade. The skills and themes established in sixth and seventh grade are reinforced and expanded on as students study forces, motion, energy, and matter. Scientific thinking and problem-solving are key components of the eighth-grade curriculum. There is a strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning and the scientific method.