Mission and Beliefs
The Full Option Science System (FOSS) springs from a philosophy of learning at the Lawrence Hall of Science that has guided the development of successful active-learning science curricula for more than 25 years. The FOSS developers are dedicated to the proposition that elementary students learn science best by doing science. Teachers and students do science together when they open the FOSS kits, engaging in enduring experiences that lead to deeper understanding of the natural world.
Science is an active enterprise, made active by our human capacity to think. Scientific knowledge advances when scientists observe objects and events, think about how they relate to what is known, test their ideas in logical ways, and generate explanations that integrate the new information into the established order. Thus the scientific enterprise is both what we know (content) and how we come to know it (process).
Because science is a discovery activity, it is fundamentally a process for producing new knowledge. Although many of us tend to think of scientists as special people, the processes they use are quite natural to all people. We all continually make careful observations of phenomena and create explanations that make sense out of those observations. Science is a wonderful, natural human enterprise through which we all find out about things.
The best way for students to appreciate the scientific enterprise, learn important scientific concepts, and develop the ability to think well is to actively construct ideas through their own inquiries, investigations, and analyses. The Full Option Science System was created to engage students in these processes as they explore the natural world.
Grade Level Units
Grade level specific information can be accessed through the Searchable Online Curriculum Database.
To search:
- For 'Curriculum Area' select Science
- For 'Grade' select the desired grade
- Click 'Go'
Adopted Materials
F.O.S.S., 2000 edition, Delta Education, Inc. Nashua, NH 03063
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