Sciences: IB-MYP
Objective A: Knowing and understanding
Students develop scientific knowledge (facts, ideas, concepts, processes, laws, principles, models and theories) and apply it to solve problems and express scientifically supported judgments.
To reach the highest level, students must make scientifically supported judgments about the validity and/or quality of the information presented to them. Assessment tasks could include questions dealing with “scientific claims” presented in media articles, or the results and conclusions from experiments carried out by others, or any question that challenges students to analyse and examine the information and allows them to outline arguments about its validity and/or quality using their knowledge and understanding of science.
Objective B: Inquiring and designing
Intellectual and practical skills are developed through designing, analysing and performing scientific investigations. Although the scientific method involves a wide variety of approaches, the MYP emphasizes experimental work and scientific inquiry.
When students design a scientific investigation, they should develop a method that will allow them to collect sufficient data so that the problem or question can be answered. Teachers will provide an open-ended problem to investigate. An open-ended problem is one that has several independent variables appropriate for the investigation and has sufficient scope to identify both independent and controlled variables.
Objective C: Processing and evaluating
Students collect, process and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data, and explain conclusions that have been appropriately reached. MYP sciences helps students to develop analytical thinking skills, which they can use to evaluate the method and discuss possible improvements or extensions.
Objective D: Reflecting on the impacts of science
Students gain global understanding of science by evaluating the implications of scientific developments and their applications to a specific problem or issue. Varied scientific language will be applied in order to demonstrate understanding. Students are expected to become aware of the importance of documenting the work of others when communicating in science.
Students must reflect on the implications of using science, interacting with one of the following factors: moral, ethical, social, economic, political, cultural or environmental, as appropriate to the task.