Science Curricula Blueprints

Why do we have formal education for our children? I think one of the main reasons is to show children the power of getting organized. But to do this, teachers and curricula need to exemplify this organization. In formal science education, one of the most important things we can do is to follow a logically integrated story. One should learn “science” — meaning one should learn how the world works and how we discover how the world works — by starting from an abundance of evidence and then thinking it through in an organized way. For things to make sense, the human mind needs to follow a good “plot” just as much in nonfiction as in fiction. Perhaps more so. For children to really “learn” science in a personal and meaningful way, they need to see ideas and facts as part of a fascinating and unified story of discovery. In these pages I attempt to present examples of such stories of discovery.

The two “curriculum blueprints” I present below are attempts to sketch out interesting, logical stories, by which you and your children can explore the world around you, and discover the principles by which it works in a first-handed and active-minded way. These “blueprints” are somewhere between bullet point outlines and a full set of lesson plans, and they are meant to provide broad guidance while still allowing the flexibility to adapt to varying contexts and circumstances. It is my intention to offer a members-only paid “content library” at some point in the future, which will include some worksheets and slideshows and things, and eventually a full set of lesson plans.