Essay # 2 Final Draft

Integrating Science Back Into Elementary Schools in Anchorage

Since the No Child Left Behind Act was put into action in 2001, Anchorage elementary schools have been slowly pushing science out of their curriculums. They are doing this because they have to meet certain standards in reading, writing, and math under this law- meaning test scores have to be at a certain level- in order for the state to receive funding for its schools. This means teachers have to put creative and exploratory-type learning on the back burner, and basically teach children how to do well on a standardized test. Learning math, reading, and writing skills are undoubtedly crucial for any child’s success, but something is missing in what these kids are learning. Although they are doing a proficient job in teaching math, reading, and writing, Anchorage School District elementary schools should incorporate more science into their curriculums because it fosters early imagination, hands-on learning, and is pertinent for later careers in a state where careers in science and technology is one of the largest industries.

From week three as an embryo until early twenties, the human brain is continually growing and developing. The most crucial times for this development is the younger years until about age ten. It is these younger years then, when the formation of young minds is at its peak, that the most exploratory learning should be taking place. Previous learning studies have shown that children not only learn better if they are figuring things out for themselves, but also end up having the most creative minds and better test scores later on. This is why science, where experiments with trial and error are being conducted, needs to be implemented as a larger part of young childrens’ education.

Looking more closely at the Anchorage community in particular, this large city is the industrial hub of the state. With the largest population in the state, it puts the most kids through the public school system and out into the workforce. This is why we need to begin with Anchorage schools. The biggest Alaskan industries are things like commercial fishing, oil and gas, environmental and geological work, and health care- all of which have a large foundation in a science related field. With the pipeline project beginning, Alaska will be hurting for engineers, environmental and wildlife biologists, electricians, and hundreds more professionals. Alaska is also one of the states in the US most deficient in physicians because of the situation with rural areas and not having road access to all of them. To fill this void in much needed positions, and to help keep our state prospering and functioning, it is vital that we implement science early to get kids excited about making discoveries and pursuing their curiosities.

If we could start with Anchorage schools, it could later set a model for other school districts in the state. It is not likely that No Child Left Behind act is just simply banished from the school system, so it will have to be worked around. Each grade level should have a committee that consists of several teachers, administrators, and several types of professionals in a science-related field. Together, the committee could come up with six age-appropriate experiments to be done throughout the school year, involving six different concepts that have to do with nature, the environment, simple chemistry, etc. For example, kindergarteners could go outside and pick flowers, grass, and weeds in the fall, and learn about what kinds of things grow outside. First graders could do an experiment where they learn about the different forms of water. They could go gather a little snow outside, and have an ice cube, sink water and the snow in different containers and observe how they all end up like sink water. In later grades, kids could learn about circuits and electricity by getting to set up small circuits with batteries.

The heart of this operation really would be the expertise of the committees, which overall would be called “The Committee for Science Advancement in Primary Education (CSAPE). Meeting once every two months, the teachers, administrators, and scientists would lay down the groundwork for the experiments to be taught to that grade level. The scientists would inform the teachers about the concepts behind the experiment, and then the teachers would put together a logical way to teach it. The lessons would then be distributed to all teachers of that grade level.

The heart of the committee and putting this operation into effect is funding. The expense would be the major argument against the implement of more science in elementary schools. The Anchorage School District would need additional money allotted in their budget to pursue this endeavor. A way to help this issue is to bring to light the fact that science experiments involves all three subject areas the state is most concerned about -reading, writing, and math- and it teaches them in more dynamic ways. Taking data, analyzing data, learning new vocabulary words, and writing conclusions are all a part of the scientific method. This argument will help schools receive the additional funding for CSAPE.

We are coming up on a very trivial period of time in the world, with many huge issues at hand. More than ever, we’ll be relying on the future generations to take on these problems if things are going to get solved. Kids in Alaska need to be given all the opportunities they can to succeed, and because we are a state with such a high demand in the science field, that’s where we need to start. Anchorage elementary schools need more science in their curriculums to foster the growth of creative young minds and to help fill the voids in Alaskan industries that are to keep this state thriving.