Young Scientist(s) of the Month

Ashton School 3rd Grader Halie Writes a Crayfish Diary
Click on any picture for enlargement

Primrose Hill School Second Graders

Quote from Vicki Belmont, teacher.
"This was hysterical.  I explained to the class that school now is different and so is learning.  What we teach at school and at home has changed a great deal.  NOW women can do anything they like if they have the skills and men can do anything they like if they have the skills.  It no longer has to do with being a boy or a girl.  The class understands that the insect are male and female but we just can't tell.  (this little story weaves back and forth so just bear with me.)  Another time, we were discussing my grown children who I use as role models and great examples of being typical kids and then being great adults.  Both my son and my daughter wrestled in high school, and both my son and daughter went to West Point.

With this in mind, I returned to the classroom one day at the end of "indoor recess".  In the front of the room Oscar, Bella, Kayla, and Katrina had constructed holding pens and rings so that their insects could have wrestling matches... boys and girls.  (the mealworms like animal crackers so they had a feeding ring as well).  I just about died laughing.  They DO hang on our every word and I thought you might like to get a laugh out of my second grade scientists.."

That is Zachary with the insect for the mealworm and it is Oscar looking on in fascination.  They are experimenting with it to see of it learns that is is going to drop and therefore it will open up its false wings in readiness for a parachute drop to break the fall.

Katrina is the little redhead with Rayna.  They are observing their insects.  Katrina named hers and hated giving them up until she discovered they would go to the "family" tank. 

Family Science Night at Ella Risk

A student /parent Science Night was held at Ella Risk Elementary School in Central Falls. Seventy five 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students brought their parents to school and shared their kit based inquiry tasks with them.  Students shared the results of their Scientist' Notebooks with their parents. Parents, under the guidance of the student-scientists, carried out the experiment as found in their child's notebook. A parent-student making meaning conference followed as the parents and students compared and contrasted their results.

Rolling Cups
Students in Kim Coles' 1st grade class at Fairlawn Early Learning Center in Lincoln work on rolling cup activity from the Balance and Motion Kit.  Students worked on the rolling cup activity from the Balance and Motion Kit.  Given two cups, tape and pennies, they are to asked to perform several task.  One task is to use the materials given and predict how the cups will move down a ramp without weight and with weight as well as changing the length and height of the ramps.  Children record their data in their Scientist Notebooks.  The activities are aligned with The RI Assessment Target "Use data to predict how a change in force (greater/less) might affect the position, direction of motion, or speed of an object (e.g., ramps and balls)."

Squid Dissection

Fifth grade students at Veterans Elementary School in Central Falls
recently participated in a structure and Function lesson by dissecting
a squid.  Students (from left to right) Esdras Veliz, Nicholas Antaya
& Luis Sanchez. work on identifying structures in their squid. Every
student in grades 2,3 and 5 participated in this lesson.

Rocket Engineering
5th Graders, Guiteras School, Bristol

Kaysa Shea                            Sam Marchand

"What I learned from this experience is that some rockets go farther than others, depending on how they are built.  To make my rocket work well, I made the three fins on my rocket smaller the second time I built my rocket.  I also made the nose on my rocket bigger, which I think made it go straighter and farther."                                    Kaysa Shea

Jared Zina

Click on any of the student writing for enlargement

Inventor's Corner

Jasper is a third grade student at Robert F. Kennedy School in Providence.   He was working on "rubbings" of things like leaves, tree bark, etc.  His hand got tired moving the pencil back and forth so much, so he decided to create an invention that would help him.    Jasper  went home with the idea for an invention as he was working on a kit called Ideas and Inventions. He thought that the rubbing activity would hurt his hand and he could invent something to do it for him.   Here's what he came up with.

click on Jasper's writing to see enlargement

NICE Job, Jasper!!! This is very cool.  Thanks for letting us post your invention on our website.
East Bay Collaborative Webmaster.