Kids Enjoy Belmont''s New Science Room
Students at Belmont Elementary School now have their very own designated science room. Teacher and Elementary Science Coordinator Deborah Serino worked closely with Director of Science Alison Offerman-Celentano and Principal Valerie Jackson to create an interactive science room where teachers could bring their classes to explore science concepts in a discovery-oriented setting. Almost all of the material in the room was already in the district and is now part of this constructivist science setting. Two fish tanks have been set up so students can make observations and test water quality. Ms. Serino already took her class to the new science room as the inaugural group to learn about cycles in nature with the fish tanks as the focal point. Her students will be feeding and caring for the fish each day.
A science reading area was created to encourage students to read science books and to combine science with the district literacy initiative. Students can explore animal tracks and make their own prints, work with water, containers and a triple-beam balance scale to construct their own definitions of volume, mass and density. There is a microscope corner where students can learn how to use a microscope and explore organisms and using prepared slides. There is even a touch table where students can explore various organisms found at the beach. More stations will be added to explore light and the elements that make up our universe.
