A Science Curriculum Proven To Increase Growth

It has always been the goal of Ballancrest Academy at Blakeney in Charlotte, North Carolina, to provide our children with the educational foundation necessary for academic success. The science curriculum we have chosen is based off of five modules, such as properties of matter and neighborhood habitat, and is proven to be effective. Children engaged in this lesson plan have shown significant cognitive and linguistic gains on standardized tests. For example, children in ScienceStart! have achieved a significant gain of 0.5 standard deviation on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.

Measurement and Mapping

Measurement and mapping is the first module. It is taught at the beginning of the year and is designed to help your child form a community and establish routines. In these lessons, your child is exposed to the science cycle and various forms of measurement. To understand and organize important dates, your child learns representations in the following forms:

• Charts

• Drawings

• Graphs

• Photography

• Writing

Movement and Machines

The second module, movement and machines, is geared toward teaching your child to make observations on how their bodies bend, twirl, dance, and relax. They must then take these observations and explore the movements of other objects, such as spinning tops and pendulums. Gravity and friction are investigated and then simple machines used in daily life are introduced, including:

• Axles

• Levers

• Pulleys

• Ramps

• Wheels

Properties of Matter

The different properties of matter - solids, liquids, and gases - are explored in the third module. Your child will observe solid building materials, how liquids move, what sinks or floats, and how air can make things move or fill up. Changes in temperature are used to demonstrate how materials can change their state, such as cooking scrambled eggs, making ice cubes and popsicles, melting chocolate, and evaporating water.

Neighborhood Habitat

A fourth, life-science module teaches your child that all living things need food, water, air, and space, and to have a habitat that supports them. We encourage your child to explore their neighborhood to find out about plants and animals that live there and how their habitat meets their needs.

Color and Light

A common theme in preschool programs, we treat this module as a scientific investigation of primary and secondary colors, how light travels, shadows, and reflection. We design experiments to show how repeating and replicating processes produces similar results. Your child will make predictions as part of the experiment and compare the results to their initial assumption.

Educational Standards

Our curriculum reflects early childhood practices. It also supports the standards set forth by the National Council for the Teaching of Mathematics, the National Council for Teachers of English, the International Reading Association/National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Give your child a head start in life with the finest education possible by enrolling in our preschool program. Reserve your spot with the payment of our fees.