Science Super Star: Kristy Van Ostrand

Science Super Star: Kristy Van Ostrand

We spotlight Kristy Van Ostrand, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Thornhill Elementary School in Oakland. Kristy had her students questioning and building upon old ideas, after applying their real-world knowledge of patterns of motion in experiments.

March 30, 2020

We are thrilled to announce Kristy Van Ostrand as one of the 2019/2020 Science Super Stars!

Kristy is a 3rd Grade Teacher at Thornhill Elementary in Oakland. This year, her class explored the patterns of motion within different systems by comparing the wheel and axle system, rolling cups, twirly birds, and carts. Her students activated their previous real-life experiences with cars as the basis for their hypothesis and experimental questions. During the experiment, Kristy observed that her class asking more and more questions.

Students used the sentence frame “I notice __. I wonder if we do this ___, then ___ will happen.”

Recognizing how some designs worked better than others, her class continued to use the engineering and design process. Kristy encouraged substantial notetaking, including sketches, independent/dependent variables, charts containing notes on what they predicted vs what they noticed, and their results.

Her third graders were able to connect the information they gained from the lesson to their everyday lives, as they compared their experimental systems to those that operate similarly in the outside world. They perceived how different variables affect their systems. Kristy remarked:

“One student realized the powerful effect of keeping data when you refer back to a prediction that you made around the focus question and modify your thinking now that you saw the experiment. We say mistakes grow our brains – if we don’t make a prediction, we won’t see our learning grow and change.” 

Kristy’s advice for other teachers looking to strengthen their own science practices:

“Don’t be intimidated by the lessons. Explore with the kids! If we, as teachers, show kids that we don’t know it all, and we don’t have to know it all, it will break down barriers. Engage and experiment with them, ask questions and we shall learn too. In fact, these lessons are more fun when you don’t know what is “supposed” to happen, because then you, too, will make observations and spark discussion”