Science

List of 3 items.

• Engineering and Design: 6th-12th Grade

  Archer’s Integrated Design and Engineering Arts (IDEA) program engages students in hands-on activities that help students synthesize knowledge across educational domains and develop robust problem-solving skills. This integrated approach augments what students learn in science and math with creativity-building exercises and practical experience applying new technical skills, analytical techniques, and real-world problem-solving methods.
  
  

  At Archer, we believe that engineering education uniquely engages curiosity, builds capabilities, and grows confidence in ways that will serve our students throughout their lives regardless of their chosen professions. Therefore, we offer a wide range of engineering challenges and design thinking exercises starting in 6th grade and continuing through our Upper School curriculum, including enrichment activities in our core science classes, computer science, and dedicated courses in engineering and design.

• Laying the Foundation: 6th-8th Grade

  Archer’s Middle School science curriculum teaches the foundations of inquiry and investigation within the big ideas surrounding the Earth, life, and physical sciences. Our hands-on approach gives all students the room to ask questions, test their own hypotheses, and learn to take risks by embracing failure as part of the learning process. Students gain confidence in their ability to explore new ideas and tackle difficult problems that would otherwise seem insurmountable.
  
  

  Each year, every Middle School student puts her scientific prowess to the test by participating in Archer’s Little Science Inquiry Symposium (Lil’ SIS), in which students have the opportunity to apply the scientific method to conduct their own student-driven research. Projects explore the fields of environmental, biological, physical, and chemical sciences, and the results of the students’ work are presented in a Middle School Science Symposium.

• Physics First Approach: 9th-12th Grade

  Archer’s science curriculum is centered around a Physics First approach, as recommended by the American Association of Physics Teachers. Every 9th grade student takes physics, which helps develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills for success in chemistry and biology. Physics prepares students for chemistry by introducing them to concepts of electrostatics and energy. Additionally, our students are also more prepared to tackle the complex concepts in biology, such as the structure and function of macromolecules and DNA replication, both of which require a background in chemistry.
  
  

  Archer’s elective science courses, offered primarily in 11th and 12th grade, allow students to delve deeper into a variety of subjects, including anatomy and physiology, environmental science, advanced topics in physics, or honors research in science and engineering. These year-long courses focus on the application of the sciences, giving our girls the freedom to deepen their scientific understanding through a hands-on, student-centered approach. Students explore these subjects with the help of faculty members whose pedagogical skill, content expertise, and cognitive empathy inspires them to excel at their highest potential.