Dobie High School Research and Design students became teachers for a day as they recently taught important science concepts to Moore Elementary students.

In their Research and Design class, Dobie students are taught how to research for materials on the web and are able to put together the information in a meaningful way to teach concepts to others using visual and hands-on techniques.

To demonstrate what they have learned so far in their class, the Dobie students set up seven 15-minute stations at Moore that addressed concepts concerning sound, why boats float, how airplanes fly, momentum, series and parallel circuits, electromagnets, and chemical and physical changes.

Moore fourth grade teacher Dixie Thompson said these concepts were relevant to what her students are currently learning.

“These were physical science concepts the fourth grades touched on in the first nine weeks of school,” Thompson said. “It was a wonderful hands-on supplemental lesson to concepts that had already been introduced to them on a much smaller scale.”

To prepare for the lessons, each Dobie student researched general science topics to teach elementary students as well as reviewed first through sixth grade science curriculum. The high school students then selected the most important topics to teach and wrote a science inquiry experiment for the Moore students.

After gathering and organizing their materials and creating appropriate visuals and activities to help the elementary students learn, the high school students presented their lesson to their teachers Jeanne and Louis Parlangeli for approval.

Research and Design student Angela Ramirez said she prepared a lesson on air pressure.

“I used a picture of an airplane wing,” Ramirez said. “To help the students’ understanding, I used a balloon and blow dryer to show the air flow.”

Jeanne Parlangeli said the lessons being delivered from the high school students offered the elementary students a new perspective of science.

“The elementary students were excited to have a fresh new face as a scientist to help reinforce the basic concepts they were learning,” she said. “It seemed to make the science more important when they heard it from someone else besides their teacher.”

Thompson agreed, and she said she felt as though some of her students were thinking they wanted to do the same thing once they got to Dobie.

“Our students were totally engrossed in these demonstrations,” she said. “They were actively involved and very much engaged. The idea of a high school student presenting these concepts to them seemed to really intrigue them.”

Because young adults are influential in the lives of children, Ms. Parlangeli said she thinks it’s important for high school students to interact with elementary students.

“They serve as role models for these younger students,” she said. “It develops the high school student’s self-confidence and esteem to be able to explain science to a young person in a way they understand it. To see the excitement of younger children is an uplifting experience for high school students and to command such respect helps motivate them.”

Having the “big kids” over to teach the “little kids” left Moore Elementary students excited and looking forward to taking future classes in the world of science.

“This was a great experience for our students because it made physical science, which is a very abstract science, more concrete,” Thompson said. “They touched, moved and experimented in each station. This sort of learning makes science concepts real. We are hoping to be a part of this with Dobie each year from now on. It was amazingly valuable.”