Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/96436
Middle school students build a windmill for the science fair. completely dedicated to about, ��� talking about and doing thinkingTo this end, science. Curriculum Innovation As the design for the science center evolved, Coberly and his team recognized potential for moving Latin���s curriculum forward as well. The new space allowed the Science Department to consider a move that some of the country���s most innovative high school programs were making: altering the sequence of the curriculum to offer physics in ninth grade, chemistry in 10th grade, and biology in 11th grade versus the traditional sequence of biology in ninth, chemistry in 10th, and physics last. ���Putting physics first will provide a more cohesive science curriculum that is more engaging for our students and will ���The philosophy behind everything that we���ve been planning is that we need to teach the processes of science rather than just the content,��� ��� Steven Coberly, MS/US Science Department Chair ��� longtime Latin architects Nagle Hartray Architecture have worked with exhibit specialists Architecture is Fun to design the Science Forum. This will be a multimedia common area and exhibit space where students will gather for presentations, to work on bigger group projects and to learn from various interactive installations that represent the disciplines. Some of the highlights of the space will include a kinetic sculpture, a saltwater aquarium, an Omni Globe that can display anything from weather patterns to the movement of the tectonic plates, a screen showing Latin���s current water and electricity usage, and art installations illustrating various scientific phenomena such as the structure of water in its different phases. One wall of the Forum will be covered with a grid of LCD screens where students will be able to display their work digitally through iMovies, Power Point presentations and other tools or where they can watch presentations, webinars and videoconferences. ���It will be an immersive, interactive and engaging area that takes learning beyond the walls of the classroom, but also allows students to have fun with science,��� says Coberly. Overall, the Science Forum will reflect, in a visual and tactile way, how the various areas of science relate to each other and build upon one another. Latin School of Chicago 27