Science Super Star: Rob Wilkins
We spotlight Robert Wilkins, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Thornhill Elementary in Oakland. Rob intrigued his students through a "mysterious" liquid chemical experiment that led them to search for an explanation.
April 2, 2020
We are honored to name Rob Wilkins, a 5th Grade Teacher at Thornhill Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
Rob is no stranger to the notion that early-on science engagement is often a catalyst for a student's ability to develop crucial skills that lead to success later on. He also understands that the best way to have students engage in science is to practice hands-on experiments. He exemplified this by talking of one student in particular:
"I have a student whose tendency is to disengage with schoolwork, but immediately lights up whenever we do an investigation."
Rob used a lesson to not only let his students explore carbon dioxide and oxygen on a deeper level, but to help the students extend a take-away into real life consequences, like the negative effects of too much carbon dioxide in an environment. Rob strived to make chemical reactions intriguing for all of his students, by introducing a "Mysterious Blue Liquid" into the lesson. This liquid (Bromothymol Blue) is a pH indicator commonly used to test for carbon. He had his students blow through a straw into a cup of water and Bromothymol Blue, and to their amazement, the color changed. It was a captivating introduction to the world of chemical reactions, and the gasses that we interact with.
Rob's tip for other teachers:
| "Use multiple resources, curriculum ideas, CRS, Youtube… Everything Counts!" |