Science
Department Vision
Guided by the principle that every child
can learn and excel, and its vision - Inquiring Mind and Innovative Spirit -
the Science Department constantly seeks to improve on the quality of
interaction between the teacher and the learner, to bring out the best in our
students. Based on the unique needs, aspirations and abilities of our students,
differentiated programmes are designed and conducted to excite our students and
help them to develop not just scientific knowledge and skills, but also acquire
lifeskills and the values, attitudes and mindsets that will serve them well in
life.
Department Members
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Our Science curriculum framework was
derived from Ministry of Education’s Policy Framework for the teaching and
learning of Science which seeks to inculcate and nurture the spirit of inquiry
and curiosity. This framework guides us in designing and crafting our lesson
packages and enrichment program to provide an authentic learning experience for
our students as well as develop the desired thinking dispositions in them and
during the process bring about Joy of Learning for Science.
Our Science programme takes into
consideration the different learning experiences for our students. Teachers are
guided by the core ideas and essential question when they plan and deliver
their lessons. We adopt the 5E Instructional Model to plan an inquiry-oriented
student-centric lesson. Teachers are equipped with a repertoire of teaching
strategies to cater to the different learning profile of the students. Examples
of the teaching pedagogies used include teacher-directed learning, Socratic
questioning, Making Thinking Visible routines, collaborative learning, flipped
classroom, peer teaching, oral presentation, Cornell note-taking, mind mapping and
the use of games for learning.
Our department also believes in using varied mode of assessments, ranging from oral presentations to projects to practical and written papers, to provide a holistic assessment of our students. Formative assessment in the form of quizzes and model making are also used to provide information of the extent of learning, understanding of concepts and mastery of skills.
Overview of Science Curriculum
(A) Key Programmes
Sec 1 Show & Tell
Since 2015, Secondary 1 students have been given opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of scientific principles or concepts through simple experiments or model- or toy-making. As independent learners, students acquire knowledge beyond the textbooks and are given opportunities to ask questions and reflection during presentations.
Sec 2 Inquiry-Based Project
Since 2013, Secondary Two Express students have been involved in an inquiry-based project with the objective of inculcating in students a spirit of scientific inquiry as they expand their learning beyond classroom. Students learn to apply creative and critical thinking skills and foster collaboration when they work with their team members. They also acquire the essential scientific process skills, including interpreting and analysing experimental data, and making logical conclusions. At the same time, students hone their communication skills when they present their projects to their peers and teachers.
Scientific Inquiry Research Experience @ Republic Polytechnic
The Scientific Inquiry Research Experience gives Navalites an avenue to conceptualize creative Science projects that aim to find innovative solutions to everyday problems or that use the scientific method to prove or disprove phenomena.
Navalites get to observe first-hand that Science is a dynamic process where researchers often make new discoveries and re-examine earlier knowledge to try to improve, build upon, or extend on it.
Through this programme, Navalites develop a variety of skills such as their ability to:
- gather, process and organize information
- manipulate materials and scientific instruments
- analyse data and communicate their findings to others
Through the process, Navalites develop new ways of thinking about and approaching a problem.
| Year | Scientific Inquiry Research Experience | Class/Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The project, ‘Effects of Household Wastewater on Plant Growth’ won the Outstanding Project Award. This project seeks to investigate the effectiveness of household wastewaters against a commercial fertilizer on plant growth.  | Integrity 3-1: Gerald Tay and Toh Siew Tin Integrity 3-2: Karina Chua, Tristan Chia and Justyne Siao |
| 2015 | The project, ‘Effectiveness of household materials in filtering polluted air’, won the Outstanding Project Award. The team worked on finding the best household materials to filter air during a haze.  | 3E1: Celestine Teo, Eugene Tan 2E2: Glenda Lee 2E1: Lim Kok Liang, Yeo Zi Wei |
| 2016 | The project,’Fertilising Plants using Inedible Shells’, was shared with the press and featured on ‘Today’ newspaper. The students compared the effectiveness of using eight inedible shells as fertilizer in place of commercial fertilisers. | 2-4: Javier Yit, Lucas Boo Sajja Ramyasri 2-6: Nikki Yeo 3-5: Glenda Lee |
| 2018 | The project, ‘Plants as solar cells’, won the Outstanding Project Award. This group explored using chlorophyll extracted from fresh leaves to replace the silicone light-trapping components of a solar cell in an effort to come up with a more efficient solar cell that can be safely and easily disposed.  | 2-6: Chia Jun Hao Reyes Justin Noel Dotimas 2-7: Arockia Raj Domenic Savio Prisha Erika Mogan Dale Michael Nisay Punzalan |
National Science Challenge
| Year | National Science Challenge | Class/Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | This competition is a televised game show that is broadcasted on MediaCorp's Channel 5, and aimed to give Secondary 3 students a chance to put their science knowledge and skills to the test. | 3-6: Andrianna Pang Chen Shiman Chong Phan Tue Chi Linus Nguyen Thai Le |
| 2019 | The students were exposed to 60 multiple choice questions comprising of the three science disciplines which were an eye opener to them. | 3-5: Elliston Goh Kathirvel Vanathi Harini,Jady Ng, Joshua Nicholas |
| Year | Math & Science Challenge | Class/Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | On the 13th of July, two teams from class 3-5 participated in the Math and Science Challenge organised by Jurong Pioneer Junior College. The challenge required them to bring forth their knowledge in the subjects of Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. During the science challenge, they had to collaborate in teams and listen to each other’s views as they were stretched to think out of the box to solve the questions. Although the questions were unfamiliar to them, they had to adapt by tapping on each other’s strengths. One team emerged 4th runner-up! It was definitely an enriching experience for all of them  | 3-5: Elliston Goh Reyes Justin Claire Javier Casana Francine |
National Crystal Growing
NBSS Chemistry Department has embarked on crystal growing since 2011, when our students first emerged Top for overall schools in the YJC Crystal Growing Competition
In 2012, our boys team achieved overall championship at the National Crystal Growing Competition organised by National University Of Singapore (NUS). Three of our students were given an honorary mention for the International crystal growing competition in 2014. Three teams of our students participated in the same competition organised by NUS this year. The journey has greatly enriched our students with good experimental skills and instilled in them traits like discipline and perseverance. Our teachers too have gained much expertise in crystal growing.
Since 2014, we have established a yearly structured Crystal Growing Enrichment Programme for our Secondary Three Normal Academic students. This programme has aroused many of our students’ interest and allowed them to enjoy the fun side of Chemistry. As we explore the sustainability of this programme, we hope to continue working with our students to discover not just crystal growing techniques, but scientific thinking skills via research work.