Science
Our science curriculum is an adaptable and evolving resource focused on using the scientific process to help students better understand their world. It provides a scaffold for learning experiences while remaining flexible enough to incorporate student interests, new opportunities, and emerging ideas in science education. Its current stage of development is heavily influenced by a variety of sources. These include Miquon’s environment and rich traditions, current research on science literacy, progressive education practices, student interests and the wisdom of our experienced staff.
View The Science Curriculum Scope and Sequence, which uses specific terminology from Project 2061: Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards, and the NYC Department of Education has been used to describe key ideas already in place.
Join the vibrant music scene here at Miquon! We are currently hiring for a half-year sabbatical replacement for our music teacher. This position is full-time and starting mid-January.
The music teacher at Miquon contributes to the daily life of the students and the school. They support student growth in their enjoyment, appreciation, and performance of music through a variety of planned music experiences which include singing, moving to music, playing instruments, and preparing the 6th graders for their choral performance at their graduation.
Read the link in our bio to find out more. Send your resume to resumes@miquon.org.
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Are the fish okay under the ice? Are they frozen? Should we feed them?
Our K/1 children had a lot of questions when they discovered that the koi pond had frozen over and the koi were acting differently in this cold weather.
These questions quickly served as inspiration for a research project. The children have been collecting wonderings; drawing observations; and finding answers to all of their questions. One term that they recently learned was “torpor”, which is the state of decreased activity that koi enter into to survive in winter.
On a final note, the “Most Dedicated Researcher” award goes to Maryanne, one of our Sugar Maple teachers, for dipping her phone into the pond to record a video of the koi below. We value your service to the cause, Maryanne!
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REPORTING LIVE FROM CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS: the primaries of our 5/6th graders` Greatest Doughnut election have come to a close.
After watching campaign ads featuring each of the six candidates and entering into informal (yet civil!) debate all over campus, every Miquon student casted their vote.
The electorate has spoken and our two final candidates are Boston Creme of the "Stuffed Party" and Glazed of the "Not Stuffed Party". (Early on, it appeared that Glazed Chocolate would prevail due to the strong turnout of the Nursery/Kindergarten voting bloc, but they were outnumbered by a late push from the upper elementary bloc in the end.)
The final election is... TODAY. STAY TUNED!
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Grandparents and grandfriends, thanks for traveling from near and far to be with us last week! Nearly 170 of you packed the house, and we couldn`t have been happier about it.
We hope you enjoyed taking part in everything from Morning Meetings to Publishing Parties to sing-a-longs. We sure enjoyed having you.
See you next year!
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Interested in a school that celebrates childhood from the creek to the classroom? Consider Miquon for your child`s nursery through sixth grade education.
Our priority application deadline for 2025-26 is tomorrow, Dec. 6. Applications received after this point will be considered on a rolling basis as space allows.
Visit the link in our bio to get started today.
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Many who have spent time at Miquon have said, “This feels magical!” It is magical, and magical by intention because of how much this community cares for one another.
On this Giving Tuesday, we hope you will consider making a gift that will support everything we do at Miquon from the creek to the classroom. Our Annual Giving Campaign funds teacher salaries, classroom supply purchases, campus maintenance, and so much more.
If you have already made a gift this year, we deeply appreciate your contribution. If you haven’t yet, please consider including Miquon in your #GivingTuesday philanthropy. Visit miquonschool.org/giving.
#themiquonschool #foreveramiquonkid #miquoninourhearts #givingtuesday
Feel the late November chill this morning? No fear, the 6th grade quilts are here!
Well, in full transparency, these paper quilts will not keep you warm, but they are nonetheless pretty awesome.
This project served as the opening of our 6th graders` geometry exploration. They began by studying various quilts to observe patterns and learn about the attributes of polygons.
5/6 teacher, Anna, explains more: “Decomposing and rearranging pieces of polygons, we learned to calculate the area of rectangles, parallelograms and triangles. Through this, we learned the concept of a formula - an equation that contains letters to represent unknown values. Now, we’re putting it all together by finding the area of polygons on our quilt, with the goal of finding the total area for each color… It’s been a fun puzzle!”
Check out their works in progress.
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Standing at the entrance of the Bamboo Forest, our campus bird blind has always been a magical place. We`re happy to report that it recently received a major glow up thanks to Miquon counselor and former camper, Vincent Giletto!
Vincent enjoyed using the bird blind for years as a camper, and for his Eagle Scout project, he chose to renovate the space. The numerous improvements he made include installation of new windows, binocular hooks, bird feeders, and a bird bath. He and his team also planted native plants and revived the space with a fresh coat of paint.
We can`t wait for you to bring your own campers here this summer, Vincent. In the meantime, our groups will take good care of your hard work during the school year. And... congratulations on earning your Eagle Scout ranking! (Thanks, @aims912, for all of your help.)
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Approach
To support the development of curious, life long learners, Miquon students actively experiment to better understand the world. The science program emphasizes critical thinking processes that give children the skills they need to explore their own questions.
These essential questions guide the development of worthwhile experiences for Nursery through 6th Grade students:
- How can we observe, question and experiment to better understand our world?
- What lives, grows and breaks down at Miquon?
- How do parts of a system affect each other?
- How can we create what we need or want?
- How does science work? How does science information change over time?
Specific areas of study are selected through the interplay of a variety of factors (including, but not limited to): personal relevance to students’ daily lives, local and global events, the availability of resources, and student and teacher interests. The disciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, engineering, and art are woven throughout the curriculum. Core ideas in these fields are investigated and revisited in age appropriate ways to build the foundation for a broad and nuanced knowledgebase.
The Art and Science Show
The Art and Science Show is an event in the spring that showcases work from every child in the school. The art presentation is curated by the students and the art specialist teacher. The science show has had a variety of iterations over the last few years, but it always features reflective learning exhibitions from fifth and sixth grade students. These exhibitions may feature inventions developed by students, extensions of science projects completed earlier in the year, live demonstrations, or creative exhibits that educate visitors about a specific topic. Younger students are also invited to present their projects and inventions, but it is not mandatory.
Science Choice
In addition to scheduled classes, many children also enjoy visiting the science room at lunch choice. The science room is open two to three days a week. Students visit to continue projects from class, build new creations, work with computer programs, read books and spend time with the live animal visitors.
Minicourses
Minicourses are elective courses for children held for an hour on Friday mornings in eight week installments. Topics for these courses may be suggested by teachers or children. Some science related minicourses held over the last few years include: SCRATCH-an introduction to computer programming created by MIT, Google Sites, Woodworking, Art and Sculpture in Nature, Baking Bread, Move It–a dance and fitness class, Bird Watching and Hiking, Paper Airplane Design, Building Things That Go, and Chemistry & Crystals.
Science Blog
Want to learn more about the latest with Science Kate? Check out pictures, kid projects and the other happenings posted to the Science Blog.
Science Blog
- The Miquon Kids’ Research Journal Volume Two
- Spotted Lanternflies and Children
- The Miquon Kids’ Research Journal
Curriculum Report
The curriculum report is the teachers’ review of the entire year, looking back and making observations after their plans, projects, problems, and revelations are long over. One of the distinguishing features of this report is the great extent to which each teacher’s style, focus, and personality come through in this retrospective narrative. Check out the Science Curriculum Report.
