Nowhere is our interactive approach more visible than in our science program. Science is a core subject at Chrysalis; for our students, science is an active investigation of the world.

Progress in science is made through asking meaningful questions, conducting experiments, analyzing information, making connections and drawing conclusions. We feel that this epitomizes the process by which students achieve a greater understanding of the world and expand their sense of what is possible. Therefore, our approach to teaching science is unique and multi-faceted, going beyond lectures and textbooks.

Our science classes are a place where teachers model excitement and curiosity through dynamic classroom instruction. Teachers foster group discussions and urge students to form connections between what they just learned and what they know from personal experience or previous instruction. 

Instead of just saying “I don’t know”, we encourage students to ask “how can I find out?”, creating an environment where kids can ask questions and think creatively about the world. This leads to many spontaneous, student-generated investigations. For example, when watching the fish in the classroom aquarium prompted students to question why one fish was chasing the others around, it led to an investigation into animal behavior. The students concluded that this fish was the dominant male of the tank. It may have seemed like a simple question, but it is instances like this that help create such a positive learning environment at Chrysalis. Students ask questions, trusting that their teachers will respond with enthusiasm. This nurtures children’s curiosity and bolsters their confidence by confirming that their observations are worth exploring.

For each science unit that is taught, students advance from classroom instruction, to labs and experiments. In the classroom and out in the field, takes them deep into a firsthand scientific experience. They use the appropriate tools and technology to experiment, collect and display their data. Students then use this scientific evidence to explain their findings, connecting their hypotheses to sound conclusions.

Field work is the final piece of our science curriculum. Weekly field studies on campus and at a variety of locations throughout Shasta County give students a chance to apply what they have learned. During this time, students may be performing bio-assessments of rivers and streams, tracking migrations, monitoring animal populations, studying ecosystems, bird watching, experimenting with solar energy, classifying plants and insects, assisting with habitat restoration or just sitting quietly and making observations of their environment.

Both in the classroom or out in the field, Chrysalis students have access to a variety of scientific equipment and technology that many other children will not use until high school or even college, such as high-powered microscopes or Vernier® equipment that measures and analyzes everything from light and sound to voltage and electromagnetic fields. Students also use chemistry lab equipment, computers, binoculars, species identification field guides, drag nets and other field gear. Work with this equipment begins in the early grades, so that by the time students reach the upper levels, they are confident and familiar with all the tools at their disposal.

Chrysalis students spend a significant amount of time outdoors - rain or shine - on weekly field studies, field trips and camping trips, putting their classroom learning into action and experiencing the rich natural history of our region. Nature is the perfect subject for developing sensitivity and fluency in thinking about complex subjects. Study after study has shown that the natural world generates a rich response in the human mind. Many students find that simply being in nature helps them find their quiet, calm center from which to better reflect on who they are becoming.

Specifically, fieldwork (field studies and trips) can have a positive impact on long-term memory due to the memorable nature of the fieldwork setting... More importantly, there can be reinforcement between the affective and the cognitive, with each influencing the other and providing a bridge to higher order learning.
From: A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning

National Foundation for Educational Research (2004)