Science

Long Beach's Science Program is coordinated with the New York State core curriculum guides;

Elementary (K-4)
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/elecoresci.pdf (right click and save)

Intermediate (5-8)
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/intersci.pdf (right click and save)

Secondary biological and physical science (9-12)
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/cores.htm

The content and skills addressed in the guides are aligned to The Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology:
http://emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pub/pubmst.html

At the elementary level students will explore aspects of both the physical setting and the living environment. Kindergarten topics include body parts, plants and animals, exploring the senses, sound, heat and light, looking at the sky, and caring for the Earth. First grade explores grouping objects, taking care of your health, where plants and animals live, and the Earth and its weather. Second graders investigate human health and nutrition, the solar system, fossils, forces, magnets, and electricity. Our third graders examine life cycles, role of living things, forms of energy, buoyancy, solar system, rocks and minerals, and the Earth's water. Fourth grade topics include the Earth's land, properties of matter, classifying living things, magnetism and electricity, and weather and climate. In April of the fourth grade all New York State students sit for a performance and written science assessment of the Elementary Core Curriculum.

At the intermediate level the syllabi build upon the foundations established in grades K-4. The fifth graders explore living systems, the solar system and beyond, matter and energy, ecosystems, light and sound, and the solid Earth. Topics for the sixth graders include forces in motion, the changing Earth, cells and microbes, continuity of life, the nature of matter, and oceanography. In the seventh grade the syllabus focuses on the study of the biological science while the eighth graders concentrate on the physical sciences and prepare for the Intermediate-Level Science Assessment in May. Accelerated eighth grade students take Regents Earth Science and sit for the regents in June.

The high school offers a variety of science courses to provide students with a complete experience in science. All of our students are encouraged to take the college level and Advanced Placement courses in science. Our elective program includes Forensic Science, Weather, Animal Behavior, Astronomy, and Oceanography. Highly motivated high school students are also encouraged to enroll in our rigorous research program, which offers students an opportunity to perform authentic scientific research as a part of their high school experience. Our research students compete throughout the United States and have enjoyed great success in the competitions.

The science department of the Long Beach Public Schools is dedicated to helping our students understand the natural world through a process of scientific inquiry. When students learn using inquiry-based science they are using the same ideas and methods that scientists do when they are conducting scientific research. Through this process our students will meet the rigorous new state standards and learn the essential skills of problem solving.