Class #4--Ninth Age Science

Tuesday, September 7, 11:00 A.M., 9th Age Science Class. Class #4 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” odyssey. After a three-day weekend, we at Calvert picked up right where we left off—with lots of teaching and learning! I am in science class with Mrs. Preston’s 9th Age girls’ homeroom. Mrs. Wlodarczyk, our multi-talented Lower School science teacher, reviewed some of the class procedures with the girls and then began the class’s first official science lesson of the year. With textbooks, sharpened pencils (is there anything better than a freshly sharpened pencil?) and a clean, yet-to-be-written-in lined notebook, the girls were eager to start. After learning about the definitions of “hypothesis” and “experiment,” the girls were introduced to the scientific method by reading about the chameleons of Madagascar. The students were attentive, eager to read aloud, and generally excited about science. Now that they are in 9th Age, they have science homework to complete before the next class. The first homework involves providing definitions for key scientific vocabulary, such as "variable." In addition to teaching science to 7th Age through 10th Age, Mrs. Wlodarczyk is our Planetarium Coordinator and also coaches 5th grade intramural basketball with me.