Curriculum

Engaging units grounded in authentic science and engineering practices

CURRICULUM

The Science Club academic year is divided into three quarters: fall, winter and spring. Each is 7-10 weeks long, focused on one of the curricular units below. Each unit has a particular theme ranging from food to medicine. The quarter culminates in a big finale event or competition to wrap-up and celebrate!

These units were designed by Northwestern scientists and tested with Boys and Girls Club members and Chicago Public School students.

They are all free to adapt for your own classroom or afterschool club.

Email us at scienceinsociety@northwestern.edu  if you wish to use them; we will send you downloadable PDF version!

Science of Food

Each week, we experiment with a different junk food recipe (like potato chips, soda, and ice cream) and discuss the scientific principles and nutritional value behind our favorite snacks. For the final challenge, each group develops a new recipe, calculates the nutritional content of their invention, and a panel of food critics awards the best recipe.

Medical Mystery

Sally, a fictional 13-year-old girl, suddenly becomes sick. We’ll work in small groups to diagnose Sally’s illness. We’ll learn about human health and medical skills such as measuring blood pressure and performing simple neurological exams. This builds scientific skills such as experimental design, data analysis, and forming evidence-based conclusions.

NeuroSports

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! NeuroSports introduces the field of neurobiology, learning how the brain and nervous system are involved in sports and athletic performance. We’ll design new, open-ended experiments to examine the role of reaction time, sidedness/handedness, depth perception, balance, and memory in sports. At the end of the module, we’ll help a struggling athlete improve their sports performance by using different measurement techniques, designing controlled experiments, and critically analyzing data.

Get a Grip!

Meet Arianna, a fictional geologist who studies the rocks and rock formations of celestial bodies. Her current research is to learn more about the Moon’s surface and about the type of elements that makeup moon rocks. But there is a problem; the most recent shipment of supplies from Earth has been delayed and her equipment to collect moon rocks will not make it to the International Space Station. She needs to proceed with her research on time and needs our help. Groups work together to design a prosthetic device to collect moonrocks of various sizes and weights all while considering limitations of materials and space! In Get a Grip! youth learn the engineering design process, simple construction techniques, and how to critically analyze a design.

 

Science: The Movie!

Let’s go to the movies! Learn about sound and vibrations. Test your neurophysiological response to music and measure the intensity of environmental sounds. Science: The Movie! culminates with groups re-engineering sound effects in a short 1960’s sci-fi movie clip.

Clean Water Challenge

Clean Water Challenge is an inquiry-based unit that introduces students to water quality, environmental toxicology, and environmental engineering. Students will learn about the struggle to access clean water in different parts of the world. Groups will work together to analyze several potentially contaminated water samples using chemical and biological tests. To improve water quality, students will design and build a water filtration device that can remove impurities and restore water health.