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.
Recently students celebrated the 100th day of school!
The 3rd / 4th grade classes set up and ran the annual 100th day obstacle course - ten stations with ten fun repetitions (to equal 100). They helped guide each class through the course, taking care to assist and cheer on everyone from our oldest to youngest students.
Kindergarten / 1st grade children also had a morning filled with discussions: “what would you want 100 of?” “how are 100 grains of sand different than 100 skyscrapers?” “can we come up with 100 movements (grouped in 10s?)” Many squats soon followed. 🙂
Among other projects, students also made necklaces out of 100 cheerios, made ships and castles with exactly 100 pieces, and collaborated with a partner to make a 100-link paper chain.
The 2nd graders even learned to count to 100 (cien) in spanish!
Hard work, thoughtfulness, determination, and joy: all in the life of a Miquon kid.
#progressiveeducation #learningoutsidetheclassroom #miquonschool #foreveramiquonkid #phillyindependentschools #proudtobemiquon #progressiveschool #independentschools
It was a big day at Miquon yesterday!
The K/1 classes tapped two maple trees on campus to begin collecting sap. They helped drill the holes, position the buckets, and everyone got a little taste.
"The sap from this tree tastes like water," one child observed. "The other tree is sweeter."
Stay tuned! The children will keep an eye on the buckets as the sap collects, and then begins the process of transforming sap to syrup.
#progressiveeducation #learningoutsidetheclassroom #learningoutside #LearningOutdoors #mapletreetapping #miquonschool #foreveramiquonkid #independentschools #proudtobemiquon #progressiveschool #phillyindependentschools
Each year at Miquon, older kids are paired with younger kids as `buddies.` The pairings spend time together reading, playing, and getting to know each other. Here you`ll see notes that 3rd / 4th grade kids left for Kindergarten / 1st grade kids on the classroom window.
"You are very kind and inspiring," says one of the notes. "I appreciate you being my buddy!"
#proudtobemiquon #foreveramiquonkid #playbasedlearning #miquonschool #progressiveschool #progressiveeducation #montcoparents #IndependentSchool
We believe: every person is a thinker, creator, and contributor.
This belief is reflected so beautifully through the Miquon art room`s Community Weaving Loom.
All children from first through sixth grade are invited to add to a community weaving project, and each participant is given a voice at every stage of the design and creation stages. Everyone works together to come up with ideas, agree on a theme, and then create a sketch for the weavers to use as their map.
This makes for some wonderful moments—it’s a tangle of hands working together, with children sharing ideas and helping new weavers learn what to do. The finished weavings are masterpieces! See what they`ve been working on this year.
#progressiveeducation #progressiveschool #miquonart #miquonschool #phillyindependentschools #proudtobemiquon #independentschool #phillyfamilies #foreveramiquonkid #montcoparents
Recently in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., students read books about his life and legacy and voted as a class about which book to recommend to the rest of the school as part of a special assembly.
Here in the 2nd grade they read two books: Boycott Blues, which narrates the bus boycott in Montgomery County, and My Brother Martin, a book that describes Dr. King`s childhood from his sister`s perspective.
Both books sparked meaningful conversation and when the class voted, they had a perfectly even tie! Some children preferred My Brother Martin because it told stories about Dr. King`s childhood and what led him to become an activist, and others preferred Boycott Blues because it focused on the greater movement of which Dr. King was part.
The children decided to recommend both books to the rest of the school.
#progressiveschool #miquonschool #phillyindependentschools #proudtobemiquon #foreveramiquonkid #martinlutherkingjr #montcopa #childrensbooks #progressiveeducation #phillyindependentschools #MLKDay
What is a picture book?
(The answer is more complicated than you might think!)
What does distinguished mean?
What makes a good picture book?
How do you reach an important decision as a group?
These are the guiding questions students at Miquon have been thinking about this year as they`ve learned about the Caledecott Award and examined past winning books through the eyes of Junior Caldecott Medal Committee Members.
Our librarian Sarah Stippich is wrapping up her year on the 2025 Randolph Caldecott committee, which will decide on the “most distinguished American picture book for children” published in 2024.
The award has been around since 1938 and the committee is made up of 15 librarians from around the country. All year Sarah has been reading HUNDREDS of picture books and meeting with the committee. She’s currently at the American Library Association’s winter conference so they can make their final deliberations, call the illustrators of the medal and honor book(s), and attend the big press conference where the 2025 award winners will be announced to the world.
Yay Sarah!
If you want to see to the press conference, you can! It`s this morning (Monday, January 27) at 10:00 a.m. EST. Visit the link in our bio to tune in.
#progressiveeducation #phillyfamilies #phillyindependentschools #foreveramiquonkid #proudtobemiquon #themiquonschool #childrensbooks #Caldecott #progressiveschool
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.
