Science Department
Mission
It is the mission of the Fair Lawn Science Department that all students should achieve scientific literacy. As individuals and as a society, we have a stake in scientific literacy. An understanding of science makes it possible for everyone to share in the richness and excitement of comprehending the natural world. Scientific literacy enables people to use scientific principles and processes in making personal decisions and to participate in discussions of scientific issues that affect society. A sound grounding in science strengthens many of the skills that people use every day, like solving problems creatively, thinking critically, working cooperatively in teams, using technology effectively, and valuing life-long learning.
For Parents & Students
Science education in the 21st Century is changing based on our need to prepare students to be able to perform science and engineering skills for careers that don't even exist yet.
To this end, the State of NJ has adopted the NJ Student Learning Standards in Science which are based on the Next Generation Science Standards. While each educator is at a different stage of their own practice, this is our focus in the science educational community.
If you have questions about how science education is changing, please visit the links at the bottom of the page which are described below.For further information, please contact the Science Supervisor at rdurso@fairlawnschools.org.
General Information*Top 10 Skills (Future of Jobs Report, World Economic Forum) - Download Below*A New Vision for Science Education (NGSS) - Download Below*Science Education Fact Sheet (NGSS) - Download Below*Parent Guide to the NGSS - https://www.nextgenscience.org/parentguides*Parent Q&A to NGSS (National Association of Science Teachers) - https://ngss.nsta.org/parent-q-and-a.aspx
Physics in the 21st Century Classroom*Physics Students - American Journal of Physics (2015) - Article by Dr. Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University - Download Below*Think Like A Scientist - Physics World Article - Dr. Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers Univeristy - Download Below
For more information on our Fair Lawn Schools science programs, please click the links to the left of this screen.