This nation has established as a goal that all students achieve scientific literacy.  I am moving this vision into practice as I implement the National Science Education Standards as the driving force behind my curriculum.  Using higher order thinking skills as they carry out the scientific process, students in my classroom are encouraged to ask questions, make observations, as well as gather, organize, and analyse data while engaging in experiments and projects.  Science is interwoven into other curricular areas as I strive to integrate the content standards.

Developing concepts, laws, and theories requires the use of science as well as mathematics, social studies, language arts, and technology.  Science should not be taught as an isolated subject, but incorporated across the curriculum into students' daily lives.  Research-based, effective instruction, integrated into "Paws for the Cause" projects/activities generates enthusiasm and lends itself to a variety of inquiry based opportunities.

Inquiry was interwoven into festivities, as we celebrated October 27 as "Good Bear Day" to honor the birthday of President Theodore Roosevelt, the man who gave his name to the Teddy Bear.  The scientific process was integrated into our "BEARthday" celebration as students used a water filled balloon to measure how much room a certain amount of matter took up under different circumstances.

Students engaged in observing, analyzing, and inferring as they were challenged to test the compression of gasses and the effects of air pressure, while completing additional experiments using balloons as part of the day's festivities.

To conclude the celebration, students were challenged to collaborate, predict, question, and apply analytical thinking skills as they explored the concepts of chemical reactions, combustion, and change of state while carrying out experiments with birthday candles.