We spotlight Leslie Rychel, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Chabot Elementary in Oakland. She used creative ways to check for, and increase, her students' retention on the subject they were studying – lights and electricity.
April 13, 2020
We are thrilled to recognize Leslie Rychel, a 4th Grade Teacher at Chabot Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
Leslie and her students studied electricity and power by comparing parallel and series circuits. They tested their own circuits that they made to decide on which one was best overall.
She facilitated ever-growing hypotheses by asking prompt questions to lead to new discoveries. Many of her students came to the conclusion that a parallel series would be best, as if one light bulb stopped working, the rest would not go out. Many also figured out that it would be more cost-effiient over time.
She has advice for other teachers, who are unsure of how to structure lessons:
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Use the textbook to focus question ideas, student projects, and in-class discussions. Using the online resources and finding things in everyday life that connect are also both good ways. |
Leslie used creative ways to check for, and increase, her students' retention on the subject, by having them create either a diagram or poster, and share it with the classroom. This led to in-class debates where students had to defend the evidence for their claims. This went beyond the regular notebook checks for proper vocabularly, sentence structures, and accurately labeled graphs.
Leslie understands that teaching engaging science not only helps students connect with the subject, but with learning in general. She exemplifies this through one student:
| One student struggles to put ideas down into words. He discusses, and is able to access the material, but when it comes to writing down his actual ideas and taking notes, he doesn't. However, this year, he has come alive in Science. He spends lots of his time creating beautiful diagrams, detailed charts, and gathering evidence to back up his opinion. He participates well with his classmates, and is the first to lend a helping hand to those who struggle. |