Seeing the smiles on students' faces as they observe and participate in science projects fueled teachers in the first and sixth grades at Bear Creek Elementary School to pair up and form a new Science Buddies program for the 2022-2023 school year that will allow students to partner on unique projects and experiences once per month.
Val DeLello, the sixth-grade science teacher at BCES, said she formulated the idea in partnership with first-grade teachers at Bear Creek after watching kindergarten students beam with excitement while observing a sixth-grade ‘pumpkin sublimation’ experiment.
“The first-grade team and I will meet once a month to establish the STEAM activity for the buddies to tackle,” DeLello said. “We want something that the sixth graders can accomplish, then teach and walk the first graders through so both grade levels can learn from the activity in their own right.”
Benefits from the partnership and project extend beyond getting students excited about science. DeLello said the students in first grade write about their experiences when they get back to their classrooms, and the sixth graders learn a critical skill of leading by example and being a role model.
“Science is hands-on, and using science can help a child learn how to show strengths in different ways, especially those who may struggle in reading or writing,” DeLello said.
DeLello credited and thanked the first-grade teacher team of Maggie Calanni, Kiara Eaddy, Anna Norris, Kylie Palmer and Sarah Porter for their partnership in getting the program up and running.
As for next month? Students can look forward to engineering a gingerbread house capable of withstanding the “Shake Table.”