Are We Going to Make Anything Explode Today?
Harry Adler, Upper School Director
“Are we going to make anything explode today?” Don’t be alarmed that this question foretells of a hostile violent act. This represents an enthusiastic response to hands-on science. The question came from an eighth grade student who, on the previous day, had the opportunity to blow up hydrogen as part of a unit on properties of substances – in this case, flammability. As each test tube of gas was made ready for ignition, the students hoped to hear a piercing tone.
Science teachers across the school use hands-on activities to make students excited and interested in science. Through these experiences, students learn concepts, improve their experimentation skills, and often begin to see themselves as young scientists. Members of the Science Department are in the process of giving each other feedback on units taught in the school. As a result of this endeavor, we hope to find even more ways to scientifically engage students through inquiry, exploration, and experimentation.
Building on conversations the department had last year, we added some more experimentation-focused units this year in sixth grade. The students have given very positive feedback to these new science units. The hands on testing for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats increased the students’ lab skills and engaged them in an exciting stimulating way. They simulated a stomach digesting food. They loved the Upper School version of making ice cream as part of a physical versus chemical change unit. They recently began a new unit on color and light. The sun obliged the students with benevolent rays that burst forth in colors as it went through the handheld prisms. Through many activities students will experiment with subtractive color mixing, make connections to how the eyes and brain perceive, manipulate color filters, explore afterimages and turn 2-D drawings into 3-D drawings, a great integration with our art program.
We also bring in guest speakers to engage students in science. Last year, I was invited by a fourth grade teacher to cross the invisible boundary into the Lower School, where I could give students an opportunity to link what they had studied about the circulatory system to a dissection of a “pig pluck.” The students examined the four chambers of the heart and also made connections to the respiratory system by seeing how the lungs would look when full of air. They even tried to repairthe lungs when they were punctured.
Whether it is blowing up lungs or blowing up hydrogen, we want to expand our students’ minds through hands-on inquiry. We actively look forward to their asking, “Are we going to blow something up today?”
B'shalom,
