Basic HTML Version
WINTER
2010
9
At first glance, it’s difficult to figure out
who is teaching whom. It’s equally difficult
at the second glance. But a third glance
establishes the parties: the sixth graders are
guiding the fifth grade students in their
science experiments.
Surrounded by giggling fifth grade girls,
Georgie Haddad, 11, checks that the girls
are filling the tubes properly.
“Just a few milliliters more,” he tells them
after carefully checking the measurements.
Inadvertently, some water spills and he
bursts out laughing with ‘his’ students. But
he suddenly remembers his position, sobers
up and rushes to get cleaning wipes.
“Let’s start again,” he says sternly. And the
girls start again.
The fifth grade students are guests at the
Middle School lab.Their ‘teachers’ are
members of the Science Venture Club
founded by Lab Technician, Mahassen
Chanouha .
A year ago, trained and prompted by
Chanouha - who wanted to find a way to
instill a love of science in the early years
- the Science Venturers decided to invite
younger students to the Middle School
lab and teach them how to conduct some
experiments based on the PYP (Primary
Years Program) current theme.
Their first guests were 5-year-olds from
KGII and Grande Section students who,
over the course of a few sessions, concluded
that oil and water just don’t mix. Judging
by the mothers who saw their kitchens
turned into ‘speriment labs’ later on at
home, the project was a hit.
The next guests were elementary school
5th graders and CM2 students. The Sci-
ence Venturers have so far led them in an
experiment dealing with electric energy and
presented a power point on environment, air
pollution, oil spills, solar energy, biofuel, etc.
This week they are experimenting to mea-
sure the volume of a liquid.
“This is not just about mixing substances
and knowing how to experiment,” said
Chanouha. “This is about developing
competency and manipulative skills. It’s
understanding what you are reading, what
you are going to predict. It’s about coming
out with a good hypothesis and testing it”.
Word has spread at the Middle School and
now the Science Venture club, which began
with a modest three members, has now
blossomed to twelve.
Looking on attentively, Mohamed
Mneimeh, 12, observed his group filling
cylinders with the liquids. For some reason,
the measurements noted for the soap solu-
tion were off.
“This is the second class that I see this hap-
pening. It must be the soap,” he concluded
as he shook his head at his protégées who
raised their hands to interrupt the teacher.
“Questions later,” he admonished.
Chanouha herself is thrilled to see the stu-
dents show interest. “I can see their interest
in science increasing,” she said. “They have
a new sense of motivation, a new level of
maturity and there’s a lot of teamwork.”
The fifth graders themselves feeling “more
scientific” as Nay Hashem, 10, put it, “I like
coming to a real lab.”
That’s exactly what Nancy Kibbi, their
homeroom teacher, is aiming for as her fifth
grade students near graduation from el-
ementary school. “This familiarity with the
lab and the materials will ease their starting
Middle School next year,” she said.
Unfortunately, time ran out a bit too
quickly and the fifth graders get ready to
leave. But the duties of the Science Ventur-
ers are far from done: they must prepare
for the coming of another fifth grade and
prepare brand new experiments.
As Mneimeh put it, “I just love it!”
The Science Venturers