Hart Magnet Elementary School
Stamford's Elementary School for Science & Technology
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At Hart Magnet Elementary School, we are proud to say we have two full time science specialists who strive to create student centered and interest based investigations that pertain to real life issues. All investigations are directly linked to state standards and are designed based on the questions the students are wondering about.
Here at Hart we are building on the inquiry method of teaching science.
The inquiry method is designed to enable learners to come to conceptual understanding of scientific ideas new to them. The inquiry process is driven
by the learner’s curiosity and sustained by his or her sense of ownership of the process. Structure and guidance by a teacher gives shape and direction to curiosity within the context of the teacher’s learning goals for science content, process, and attitudes. Students use Science Notebooks to plan experiments,
chart data, and write questions they still have.
The inquiry method uses the 5 E approach which allows learners to build
or construct new ideas on top of what they already know. Each of the 5 E’s describes a phase of learning and each phase begins with the letter E.
Engage: An engage activity that will make connections to past learning
and mentally engage students in the concept, process, or skill
being learned.
Explore: This phase provides students with a base experience where
students explore their environment or manipulate materials.
Explain: This phase helps students explain the concepts they have been
exploring. They have opportunities to verbalize their
understanding and demonstrate new skills. Learners develop a
deeper and broader understanding of major concepts, obtain
more information, and refine their skills.
Elaborate: This phase extends students understanding and allows
them to practice skills and behaviors. Through new
experiences, learners develop a deeper understanding of concepts and obtain more information about their area
of interest.
Evaluate: The last phase of the 5 E’s encourages learners to asses their
understanding and abilities while the teacher also evaluates
student learning.