Science Super Star: Marta Sato
We spotlight Marta Sato, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Oakland. Marta recognizes the importance of sharing a classroom’s excitement about the wonders of science, and promoted real-life connections to science in every day life.
April 15, 2020
We are honored to recognize Marta Sato, a 3rd Grade Teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
Marta engaged her students in the phenomena of magnetism, in which they explored the forces of repulsion and attraction.
Before the lesson, her students recognized that Marta and their previous teachers have used magnets to hold up lessons on the board, but little else. She posed focus questions that would lead to understanding of how magnets interact with other magnets, how a magnetic field shifts when magnets are added, and what causes change of motion.
With the use of magnets, paper clips, and string, her class set off to discover more about the world of attraction. Marta told us they were instantly taken away:
| I am currently teaching 3rd grade. Sometimes I forget that they are only 8 years old. They are still learning things, and they get so excited. We were doing the first part of the experiment, where they were exploring with the magnets, when they realized if they flipped the magnets, the magnets would repel. They were so excited… so excited. It was a good reminder that I need to sometimes take a step back and look at the science experiments and phenomena through a child’s point of view. |
During the experiment, her classroom excitedly began to notice different cause and effect relationships. One group figured out that if you flip the magnets, they would repel. Others realized that putting 
them over a pencil would get them to “float.” This caused excitement throughout the classroom, as they discussed other ways to get their magnets to “float.”
All the while, she encouraged them to consistently update their journals with new terms they were learning. They made predictions beforehand, took notes during the experiment, and compared their final results. They included drawings to showcase the experiment happenings, and she always endorsed scientific labelings.
Marta also had her math unit relate to what they were learning in science. As they just began understanding inches and centimeters, she had them apply that knowledge to their science experiment with magnets.
Beyond integrating science to other subjects, she hosted in-class discussions where students could reflect on magnets in the outside world. (They could know recognize magnets outside of her whiteboard!)
She continued this connection between science and the students’ lives by assigning articles in NEWSELA, so they would gain more perspective on how science is a part of everything around them.
Marta acknowledges the power science has on an entire classroom:
| I have quite a few students with IEPs or who are newcomers. I love doing the science experiments, because it gives everyone a chance to create something or participate. |