Taking a hands-on approach

Marissa Espino

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Dozens of young scientists from Perry Elementary

School conducted hands-on experiments Friday morning, with the help of a

$200,000 science grant given to the Huntington Beach City School District

this summer.

Perry Principal Elaine Keeley said the $200,000 Beckman@Science Incentive

Grant, which will be distributed to all district schools over a four-year

period, will be used to fund teacher training, science materials and

program coordination to enhance the schools’ science program.

Keeley said each kindergarten through fifth-grade teacher participating

in the pilot program would focus on one unit each of earth, physical and

life science, instead of teaching science lessons with a more broad

approach.

“The teachers are feeling so much more confident to teach three science

units well,” Keeley said. “[Through training,] they are not just learning

about textbooks and science kits, they are learning good teaching

strategies.”

Monica Elkins used this training to show, rather than tell, her

third-grade class how solid materials can change into a liquid. Her class

watched with curiosity as they placed seltzer tablets into cups of water.

“Whoa! It’s bubbling,” several of the students said in unison.

Fourth-grader Edgar Equihuas and the rest of his class were taking notes

in their science journals while observing the different colors and

formations of rocks. The 9-year-old said he discovered some rocks have

crystals, others are very old and some are easier to break than others.

“It makes it fun because you get to learn about stuff you haven’t learned

about,” Edgar said.

Many Perry teachers were trained to teach the new program over the summer

and all 26 teachers will be trained by January.

“I went through each of the [science] lessons,” said fifth-grade teacher

Linda Burgos. “I learned the context. I learned the glitches. If I don’t

know the context well I can’t teach it well.”

Burgos, whose fifth-grade class was experimenting with the power of

magnets, said having the correct teaching tools and offering hands-on

lessons enriches the students’ learning experience.

“It’s very empowering for the student,” Burgos said. “It requires them to

think and test it out.”

Although the program is new to Burgos’ fifth-graders, she said she is

looking forward to watching future fifth-graders develop a better

understanding of science in earlier grades.

“Hopefully when they get to me it will be second nature to them,” Burgos

said.