Scientific inquiry is made up of the procedures used to generate scientific knowledge and is grounded in sound cognitive, manipulative, and investigative processes. Scientific knowledge represents the laws, principles, theories, concepts, and data that the scientific community recognizes as being the most accurate and useful. Science questions all things, rejects the labeling of statements as unalterable, and opens itself to continual scrutiny and modification. It is a creative process, which attempts to discover and understand. An ideal setting for discovery includes hands-on activities that provide for the active involvement of students.
Science is a never-ending process of discovery, interpretation, and evaluation.
The curriculum provides a flexible program for the acquisition of knowledge and utilization of the scientific processes appropriate to the level of the student. The science curriculum and instruction presented to students in science classes are differentiated to provide appropriate rigor and challenge for all learners. The essential curriculum identifies the core that all students are to learn. Teachers add to the core to meet the unique needs of the students in their classes. Students with special needs may require instruction on content and skills that specifically addresses their special needs.