April 17, 2020
We are proud to recognize Ruth Prchlik, a Kindergarten Teacher at Bella Vista Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
“How can we use paper to make new things?” Ruth combined engineering and environmental science by having her students discover how they could reuse paper items instead of throwing them away.
She came up with using paper mache as an in-class experiment, an excellent way of having a classroom engage in a hands-on activity. They discussed paper mache products she felt her students were likely to be familiar with – such as pinatas.
Ruth then posed a challenge to her class – to use strips of recycled paper and wheat paste to create paper mache bowls.
Her students were thrilled to have the opportunity to create something with their own hands. While they worked on their projects, she overheard many of them exclaiming over the unusual texture of the wheat paste, and was proud of their descriptive words.
“It is cold!” “It is slimey!” “And sticky!”
She had them journal and write their observations down, along with scientifically labeled drawings.
Ruth posed another question, to set her students down another road of comparison. She asked what makes one bowl stronger than another?
After careful comparison, her students were able to recognize that those who used more paper had stronger bowls, and those who used less had flimsier bowls.
This experiment set off a spark in her students, and experimenting with molds became a new fascination (some even asked to use molds to create animal shapes during their “Choice Time.”) Ruth’s simple lesson will hold an impact on how her students view learning for time to come.