National Science Standards

The National Science Standards are learning standards compiled by American science educators. The standards can be found in the online book below. If it does not display properly, you can also access them at the website.

They encourage:

Less Emphasis On

  • Treating all students alike and responding to the group as a whole;
  • Rigidly following curriculum;
  • Focusing on student acquisition of information;
  • Presenting scientific knowledge through lecture, text, and demonstration;
  • Asking for recitation of acquired knowledge;
  • Testing students for factual information at the end of the unit or chapter;
  • Maintaining responsibility and authority;
  • Supporting competition;
  • Working alone.

More Emphasis On

  • Understanding and responding to individual student’s interests; strengths, experiences, and needs
  • Selecting and adapting curriculum;
  • Focusing on student understanding and use of scientific knowledge, ideas, and inquiry processes;
  • Guiding students in active and extended scientific inquiry;
  • Providing opportunities for discussion and debate among students;
  • Continuously assessing student understanding;
  • Sharing responsibility for learning with students;
  • Supporting a classroom community with cooperation, shared responsibility, and respect;
  • Working with other teachers to enhance the science program.