PhD SCIENCE
PhD Science® helps students learn to think and act like real scientists. Their natural sense of curiosity drives the learning, and the classroom becomes a place of exploration. What could be more exciting than that? The curriculum’s hands-on, phenomenon-based approach allows our young scientists to dive into the real world and its everyday wonders. Science is an intriguing and dynamic field of study. Here is a curriculum that proves it.
“I would just reiterate what a fantastic program PhD Science is. I think it goes beyond a curriculum—that it really is a program, a way to teach. It's just the best that I’ve seen anywhere”
- JULIE P., STOCKTON, CA
Doing Science
Through observation, questioning, modeling, investigation, and evidence-based argumentation, students build knowledge they can apply in the real world. They develop a lasting appreciation of science that extends beyond a single lesson. As lessons build on each other, students develop true science literacy. They begin to understand the science behind every day phenomena, and eventually apply that understanding in their own lives. For example, as students learn how a windmill turns energy into light, they begin to understand energy transfer and transformation. They can then apply the same new knowledge in their own lives to explain how a microwave can warm food. PhD Science sparks curiosity about natural phenomena at work in the world, not just in textbooks. With PhD Science, students don’t just read about science—they do science.
Explore TopicsPhD Science in Sync
School will look different this year—and Great Minds teachers will be in sync with classroom teachers to ensure daily learning continues. Our teacher–writers and experts are meeting the challenge of the moment with a new science curriculum created to cover the same content as PhD Science, redesigned for knowledge building at home. Whether they’re out of school for a week or a month, with PhD Science in Sync the learning continues without missing a beat.
Sync up Now
Open Education Resource
Too often, science instruction in the earliest grades consists of disparate activities rather than comprehensive, coherent instruction. It’s time for that to change. In the fall of 2021, PhD Science will be available as an open education resource for Grade Levels K–2 so students have access to high-quality science instructional materials as soon as they begin elementary school.
Three Dimensional Model
PhD Science is rooted in the Next Generation Science Standards and the principles outlined in A Framework for K–12 Education. The curriculum was created to help teachers address the pedagogical shift required to incorporate three-dimensional teaching and learning in science education. PhD Science wasn’t retrofitted to meet these new expectations. It was specifically written to support the standards. Students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and using the lens of Crosscutting Concepts to make sense of phenomena.
Pilot the Curriculum
Last year, PhD Science helped thousands of teachers around the country transition from lecturing about science to facilitating lessons where students drove the learning. Transform science learning in your K–5 classrooms by piloting PhD Science this year and get a unique opportunity to preview our K–2 curriculum which will be available as open education resource for the 2021–2022 school year.
Pilot NowCurious About PhD Science?
Whether you’re just getting started with PhD Science or want to learn more, our online Resource Overview Sessions are a great way to explore the curriculum and online resources created to help ensure successful implementation.
SIGN UP NOWTRANSFORMING CLASSROOMS
“It’s the leadership my children are showing. My quiet and under-the-radar kids are soaring with PhD Science. That’s what I love. I’m seeing that growth and that spark in their confidence.”
