Christ Lutheran School is a K-8 school with approximately 300 students. All fifteen teachers are credentialed and our school is accredited with WASC and NLSA. Of the fifteen teachers eight of them teach science. Our sixth grade science teacher recently had the opportunity to go through the Teacher Leader Beckman Training program in Cadre V.

Christ Lutheran School joined the Beckman team in 2001. Before the inception of Beckman our science program was lacking in many areas. Our K-3 department had difficulty getting the children motivated and excited about science, much less understanding different concepts. Furthermore, in our upper grades we lacked the practical application of concepts and there was little or no practice of processing skills. Maintaining hands-on science lessons was a struggle to keep up; they were very few and far between.

This past year we gained a new Beckman Science coordinator which has enabled us direct contact with other Beckman districts/public schools. Due to the exciting program that our teacher leader went through with Beckman, we feel that we now have many opportunities for networking and growing with other districts in Beckman.

With the guiding hand of Beckman we have moved away from the traditional “book and lecture” in the classroom to an inquiry-based, hands-on classroom full of opportunities. The teachers have learned how to create a positive student-teacher led lesson, nurturing the curiosity within each child. This is especially important for the primary grades because it holds there attention while simultaneously sparking an interest in the wonders of science, this is what makes Beckman so incredible.

Due to the inquiry-based program, we find that the students entering the middle and high school years are equipped with a solid foundation of higher level thinking skills such as data building and interpretation, the scientific methodology, inference skills, and how to appropriately set up an experiment.

With the continued help and support of a generous foundation such as Beckman our vision to create a Beckman Science laboratory designed specifically for all K-6 classes can become a reality. This classroom would not only hold all Beckman supplies but also be designed as a welcoming environment where students can foster their interest in science through hands-on experiments.

For further information regarding Christ Lutheran School’s involvement with the Beckman@Science program, please contact Christine Brown – Teacher/Beckman Science Coordinator at (949)-548-6866 or 1cbrown@christcm.com.