Making the Grade Scotland Park Science Lab
By: Eddie Randle
Updated: February 14, 2013
Scotland Park Elementary is all about the hands on experience.
Science lab experiments are being used to keep students involved and engaged.
Eddie randle was at scotland park and shows us what the students mixed up and learned in tonight's making the grade.
First they learn the lesson.
Then they slip on their lab coats strap on their goggles and get down to business.
Students at Scotland Park are utilizing their fully equipped science lab to take their experiments to the next level.
The objective was to investigate different types of soil and find out which one would retain the most water.
"The STAAR science test which is fifth grade tested we have to do investigations on everything that we teach, we just got done learning about soil and we have to know which one holds the most water", says 5th Grade Science Teacher Jennifer Morgan.
Students tested clay, sand and loam.
"We used a bottle and we took the soil and put water in it and we watched it drip out the bottom and then we measured it", says 5th grader Janicie Slade.
They learned that the soil best to retain water is.
"Lome, because it doesnt hold to much or too less its just right, said 5th grader Ariel Gurley.
Mrs. Morgan doesn't just teach the students science she makes sure she's incorporating other subjects too.
"Learning is not isolated it goes across all curriculum areas", added Morgan.
It's the hands on experiments teachers and students say are helping bring the lessons full- circle.
"People like to come here and learn and not do paper work all day. But Mrs. Morgan lets us do all these experiments", says Gurley.
"I try and demonstrate everything and I tell them if I teach it to you, show it to you, and we do... it then hopefully I addressed learning for every student", says Morgan.
And just like the today's science project the students are retaining that information.
"We really dont have to just sit and figure it out we get to see it hear it and do it", says Slade.
Sounds like a lesson learned.
The students utilize the science lab every Thursday which teachers say is great because the STAAR test is weeks away.
