Science Classes Offer an Array of Activities
Since Lab Days were originally designed with science labs in mind, the Science Department certainly seizes these regular opportunities to offer intriguing lab experiments and authentic learning, both in and out of the classroom setting.
The activities in the science department are widely varied across all levels of learning and science disciplines. The following are just a few examples of what takes place in Grier Science classes:
To deepen understanding of physical properties, Mrs. Christine Fernandes’s Chemistry class created density columns out of common household substances like isopropyl alcohol, baby oil, glycerin, dish soap, milk, and honey. They observed how the substances separate themselves according to density. They then used the density columns as tools for estimating the densities of other object like wood, rubber, glass, PVC, and more.
Mrs. Fernandes’s 8th Grade Earth and Space class was learning about Earth’s geologic timescale and its eras and periods. To further investigate, these students studied fossils from the Brachiopod, Mollusca, Echinodermata, Chordata, and Arthropoda phyla and then linked the fossils to the time period when each animal evolved.
Students in Dr. Nancy Burke's AP Biology performed an Enzyme Reaction Lab. Mr. Mark Van Horn’s Chemistry Honors Students also had a lab activity during the first marking period.
During Marking Period one, Mrs. Fernandes’s Integrated Science class was learning to identify trees by their leaves. They went on a nature walk in Reservoir Park in Tyrone to look for different types of fruits and use these fruits to identify trees of origin.
By R. Woolfrey | Photo credit: C. Fernandes
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To deepen understanding of physical properties, Mrs. Christine Fernandes’s Chemistry class created density columns out of common household substances like isopropyl alcohol, baby oil, glycerin, dish soap, milk, and honey. They observed how the substances separate themselves according to density. They then used the density columns as tools for estimating the densities of other object like wood, rubber, glass, PVC, and more.
Mrs. Fernandes’s 8th Grade Earth and Space class was learning about Earth’s geologic timescale and its eras and periods. To further investigate, these students studied fossils from the Brachiopod, Mollusca, Echinodermata, Chordata, and Arthropoda phyla and then linked the fossils to the time period when each animal evolved.
Students in Dr. Nancy Burke's AP Biology performed an Enzyme Reaction Lab. Mr. Mark Van Horn’s Chemistry Honors Students also had a lab activity during the first marking period.
During Marking Period one, Mrs. Fernandes’s Integrated Science class was learning to identify trees by their leaves. They went on a nature walk in Reservoir Park in Tyrone to look for different types of fruits and use these fruits to identify trees of origin.
Whether they are testing chemical reactions in the laboratory or outdoors exploring nature, students appreciate these opportunities to learn directly, through authentic, hands-on experiments and labs.
By R. Woolfrey | Photo credit: C. Fernandes
Grier School
2522 Grier School Rd. | P.O. Box 308; Birmingham, PA 16686-0308
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
