Science Super Star: Cherene Fillingim-Selk
April 3, 2020
We are proud to recognize Cherene Fillingim-Selk, a Science Specialist at Berkeley Arts Magnet in Berkeley, as a 2020 Science Super Star.
Cherene works between 18 classrooms from the 1st to 5th Grade. For all grade levels, she ensures that the students get the opportunity to write in their journals every class. She encourages them to explain their thinking in both discussion and writing. She believes that this, along with science talks where students help others gain understanding, are essential for students to make meaning out of lessons. In addition, she sends weekly emails with grade-specific textbook reading suggestions that are often conducted in homeroom.
Across the 400+ students she meets, Cherene observes the power of engaging science lessons:
| One student regularly has preconceived misunderstandings. She is very open about changing her mind and learning from the experiments. She often says “Mind-Blown.” She does not shy away from a challenge. |
Cherene advocates for science fairs, as this brings along the joy of students being able to pick topics that they care about. The younger grades (1-3) are doing experiments in class, and are welcome to work on an additional one at home. 4th and 5th graders are doing projects at home to present at the fair. Many of their experiments are relevant to their own lives, as Cherene gave an instance where a student was curious about how to stop her nail polish from chipping so quickly, which led her to learn about how a top coat works.
She also is ensuring that environmental science is being incorporated into learning. Her third grade classes are currently doing Tehya’s Pollution Solution, where they test what materials might contain an oil spill (to minimize damage further down a stream) and what materials might clean up the oil. They will also follow up on a study they conducted in 2nd grade in which they cleaned up 22 pounds of trash in the school yard, to see the impact.
Cherene’s helpful tips for other teachers:
| “Don’t worry about the experiment failing, as that is a great discussion point. CRS is your friend. Have a plan for the materials (How will they get passed out and cleaned up?).” |