New Hanover County Science Kits

First Nine Weeks
Animal Adaptation-----The learner will build and understanding of animal
growth and adaptation.  

Second Nine Weeks
Food Chemistry-----The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate
technology to build an understanding of how food provides energy and materials
for growth and repair of the body.

Third Nine Weeks
Electric Circuits-----The learner will build and understanding of electricity
and magnetism.

Fourth Nine Weeks
Rocks and Minerals----The learner will build an understanding of the
composition and uses of rocks and minerals. 

                      North Carolina Science Goals

The goal of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study(NCSCS) for Science is
to achieve scientific literacy. The National Science Education Standards
define scientific literacy as "the knowledge and understanding of scientific
concepts and processes required for scientific decision making, participation
in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity."

The tenets of scientific literacy include the ability to:

    * Find or determine answers to questions derived from everyday experiences.
    * Describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena.
    * Understand articles about science.
    * Engage in non-technical conversation about the validity of conclusions.
    * Identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions.
    * Pose explanations based on evidence derived from one's own work.

North Carolina students can achieve scientific literacy through an
instructional program based on the science component of the Standard Course of
Study for Science. The SCS is designed to merge unifying concepts of science,
strands, content goals, and objectives.

These unifying concepts are:

    * Systems, Order and Organization
    * Evidence, Models, and Explanation
    * Constancy, Change, and Measurement
    * Evolution and Equilibrium
    * Form and Function

The strands include:

    * Nature of Science
    * Science as Inquiry
    * Science and Technology
    * Science in Social and Personal Perspectives