Skip to main content

Science Department

High quality science instruction is for ALL students.

MCPS Science engages all students through phenomenon-based, 3-Dimensional learning and provides opportunities for students to connect their learning to real world problems. Our instructional goal is to prepare students for lifelong learning by developing skills necessary for success in college and career as outlined by the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices.

Science Vision:

To cultivate scientifically literate citizens who are skilled, reflective and empowered to make informed decisions for themselves and the community.

Science Mission:

To develop and deliver high-quality, equitable, inclusive, standards-aligned instruction. We do this by providing innovative curriculum and professional development; meeting the needs of our diverse school communities; and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure opportunities for all.

 

Curriculum

Elementary Curriculum

View Course Information

Middle School Curriculum

View Course Information

High School Curriculum

View Course Information

 
 

Resources and Programs for
Students and Families

View Resources

Science Spotlights: Summer Camp Addition!

 camp  

Camp Highlights

MCPS Summer Camps!

This summer, MCPS PreK-12 Science returned to in person summer camps to offer 240 students aged 6-14 the opportunity to experience hands-on learning in a variety of scientific fields through a very generous grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  The MCPS Science team expanded our program from one live camp in 2019 to five different camps across eight sessions this summer!  These week long programs were designed and created to support our vision and mission of bringing high quality science instruction to ALL students with diverse campers attending from 45 different schools.  This past summer our elementary students learned all about plants and gardens in our Curious Gardeners camp (Grades 1-3) and fossils and dinosaurs in our Tales from the Cretaceous camp (Grades 3-5).  Middle school students had a chance to learn about the environment, sustainable practices, and alternative energy resources in our STEMming from the Earth camp, space exploration and early flight in our STEMming from Space camp, and agritourism, horticulture, animal & food science, and careers in our Agricultural Experiences camp.  With so many excited and happy campers, we look forward to running our summer camps again in 2022 with the potential of expanding to a 6th camp and additional sessions to reach even more students!

teachers 

Summer Camp Lead Teachers

A Special Shout Out to our Camp Leads 

Hosting such an amazing summer camp program wouldn't be possible without the incredibly hard working and dedicated lead teachers that guided our students through the exciting activities, field trips, and daily routines of camp life.  This group didn't just need to support our students academically either.  These brave teachers needed to perform daily wellness checks, perform first aid, and coordinate field trip and lunches, all while teaching and building relationships with students throughout the week.  It was amazing to visit the camps and see all the smiling faces of our students and staff as they performed STEM activities, visited museums & farms, created art masterpieces, or simply ate lunch together and socialized with peers.  A big thank you goes out to each of you for all that you did to make our camps a success!  Our lead teachers included:

 

Curious Gardeners: James Nelson, Mike Carbonara, Kate Mattey, and Mark Granger

Tales from the Cretaceous: James Nelson, Mike Carbonara, Kate Mattey, Mark Granger, and Bernadette Freeland

STEMming from the Earth: Danielle Affinito, Andrea Dai, and Pam Tarectecan

STEMming from Space: Liz Fishman, Becky Gibbs, and Rob O'Dell

Agricultural Experiences: Liz Fishman, Becky Gibbs, and Danielle Affinito

Guest Appearances: Brian Shilling, James Fishman, Laura Pykosh