Science Super Star: Rob Fong
We spotlight Rob Fong, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Lincoln Elementary in Oakland. Under the guidance of Rob’s overall approach of encouragement to think about and analyze the different systems around them, his students tackled a multitude of phenomena from solubility to human processes.
April 15, 2020
We are honored to name Rob Fong, a 5th Grade Teacher at Lincoln Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
Rob and his class studied a multitude of phenomena over the past school year, including solubility, the correlation between heart rate and physical activity, and states of matter.
He asks his classroom to always support their scientific claims with ample evidence. In one of his earliest lessons with his class, he pulled up a picture of a pelican and asked his class what it was, and why they thought so. Even though many of them may have known what it was, saying “because I just know” was not a sufficient explanation. His students learned to step back and be more mindful of the world around them, especially with the familiar. (and came up with abundant evidence: it has feathers, it can fly, it is near water, it has a pouched beak!)
“I’d say connect classroom science to students’ relatable real-life situations as much as possible. Incorporate multimedia to help engage students. Take time with science, and move investigations gradually if needed so students get concepts at a manageable rate.”
He works diligently to have the subjects he teaches interconnect with one another. Math is always an integral part of their data collecting, and his students take detailed notes on the processes of every experiment they conduct.
Rob recounts many instances where students were able to apply what they learned about in class into “the real world.” After their lesson on the states of 
matter, his students checked out the class aquarium, to identify the solid, liquid, and gas components. This is a simple way to create a tangible takeaway from a lesson, and engages students in a way that fosters understanding.
As he encourages students to seek out their answers, and to be mindful of the world around them, they often test ideas even after the initial in-classroom experiment is complete. They had learned that food travels through the esophagus with the use of peristalsis, not gravity. An easy check was to have some of his students drink water.. upside down! The fact that they were able still drink the water, helped his class see how testing their ideas does not have to be complex.
This follows Rob’s overall approach of encouraging his students to think and analyze different systems around them. To think of somethings individual parts, and try to determine how they work and interconnect with the rest of its pieces.
“Students who may not respond well to just listening or reading about science, or notebooking or other written aspects of science, can really thrive when doing hands-on science. Science field trips can be especially amazing for these students.”