The 58 elementary schools within the Pittsburgh Public School District uses Science Homework Calendars to provide at-home reinforcement of the skills covered in the classroom. In addition, the Science Homework Calendars address the need for consistency in a school district where student transition is very high.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools Science Homework Calendars ensure participation by offering students a variety of activities to complete. Students are more likely to complete a project if it is a subject that interests them.

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The Science Homework Calendars meet state science standards and reinforce cross-curricular skills, such as reading and math. Distributing the Science Homework Calendars in class and providing them on-line through our school and local Pittsburgh libraries allow all students to gain access when necessary.

Science Homework Calendars Rubric

The Science Homework Calendar Rubric details the student responsibilities and guidelines for adults involved in the Science Homework Activities.

Science Homework Calendars FAQs

Q: How did the idea of the Science Homework Calendars come about?

The issues were presented first. Pittsburgh teachers and parents were concerned that inquiry-based science programs would not provide opportunities for reinforcement of science skills outside the classroom. We recognized the issue as important, so we set about to brainstorm ideas which would provide us with solutions. As Science Homework Calendars came into being, we also saw other opportunities, such as integrating cross-curricula activities (for instance, math and reading) and keeping students and parents involved through using internet resources and partnering with Pittsburgh libraries.

Q:  Can I copy any of the Science Homework Calendars for use in my science classroom?

Thank you for your interest! All of our Science Homework Calendars are copyrighted. We are working on a process to grant permissions to interested parties, which will be posted on this site.

Q:  Who is responsible for creating new Science Homework Calendars each month?

District Science Specialist (Jim Simeone) and his staff organize a committee of teachers to meet witheach month. All correspondence received from students, teachers, parents, librarians, principals and other community members are reviewed. During the summer, this committee makes necessary changes to the calendars and prepares materials for editing. Throughout the academic year our calendars are duplicated, bundled and packaged for distribution to the schools.

Q:  How are Science Homework Calendars distributed?

Each month, 150 packages per grade level are created for distribution among K–5 science teachers. Each package is color coded per grade level and contains 35 Science Homework Calendars. The Science Homework Calendars are also posted in each science classroom and are available on-line through Pittsburgh school libraries and local libraries.

Q: Who handles the creation and distribution of the Science Homework Calendars?

The District Science Specialist works with an editor (Sandy Heckler) and duplicator (Debbie Lopata) to coordinate and distribute the Science Homework Calendars each month.

Q:  How much time is involved in creating the Science Homework Calendars each month?

Once the Science Homework Calendars are edited, it takes approximately four to five days for duplication, packaging and distribution to the schools.