Quizzical Scientists Share Work

On Thursday, May 19, Middle School students shared the results of their science experiments with parents and members of the community. Science Department Chair, Dr. Shayri Greenwood, explains, “The most important objective of the MS Science curriculum is to teach students how to communicate scientific concepts. Science Night is a time for students to explain, distill and demonstrate concepts explored in their lab reports. Covid has taught us there is a critical need for people to understand how to analyze and explain data.”

Students in Grades 5 and 6 had scope to test any hypothesis they were curious about. They considered questions ranging from What shape withstands earthquakes best? to How do gender and family origins affect fingerprints? Students in Grades 7 and 8 focused on a topic related to life sciences that used a more specific and nuanced approach. Dr. Greenwood comments, “All students are learning the importance of looking at groups of data and drawing conclusions. When students dig into the data, it can lead to messy yet great experimentation and exploration!”

This inquiry-based learning is designed to prepare students for independent study in the Upper School. “At Science Night, Advanced Physics US students designed and implemented their own interactive experiments modeling physics concepts they learned throughout the year. Running their experiments alongside Grade 6 students hopefully inspired a number of students to see how they grow to design intricate experiments as they progress through the science curriculum at Friends,” said Dr. Greenwood.