Grade Level Activities
Elementary students visit The Living Lab in the fall and in the spring. Here are some of the lessons students are learning in the 2018-2019 school year. All lessons are aligned with the 2016 Massachusetts Science, Technology, and Engineering curriculum standards.
Scroll down to view every grade level. Click on the photos to view them larger.
Kindergarten
Fall: At the Living Lab, students learn about science and learn how to be scientists! Kindergarten students learn that scientists observe the world and look for details. They investigate what living things need by interacting with specimens of butterflies, birds, and plants to come up with their own explanations. Then, students learn how trees make more trees by exploring the life cycle of the oak tree. While exploring the John Gagnon trail behind the Day School, they find all stages and come home with an acorn!
Spring: Students study pushes and pulls in their classrooms, and when they come to the Living Lab they discover that wind can push and pull too! In one lab, they make model tornadoes and demonstrate how moving air can pick up debris from the ground. In the other lab, they design a sail for a sailboat, and test it using a raft on a track. The learn that engineers do many trials of their designs, and their product gets better each time!
Spring: Students study pushes and pulls in their classrooms, and when they come to the Living Lab they discover that wind can push and pull too! In one lab, they make model tornadoes and demonstrate how moving air can pick up debris from the ground. In the other lab, they design a sail for a sailboat, and test it using a raft on a track. The learn that engineers do many trials of their designs, and their product gets better each time!
Pre-First Grade
Fall: Pre-first graders are introduced to properties of materials. They observe and feel different objects to come up with a group definition of the properties of solids and liquids. As a messy challenge, they manipulate "Oobleck" which can have properties of both a solid and a liquid under certain conditions. Students use engineering design practices to explore and test which materials can be used to design a raft that will float.
Spring: Pre-first graders learn about the habitat at Reed Brook and how living things interact with the environment. They specifically study honey bee colonies with our resident beekeeper, Mary Morse.
Spring: Pre-first graders learn about the habitat at Reed Brook and how living things interact with the environment. They specifically study honey bee colonies with our resident beekeeper, Mary Morse.
First Grade
Fall: First graders study plant and animal parts in their science curriculum, and also at the Living Lab. Students consider what body parts help an animal stay warm. Students learn that scientists sometimes use models to learn about things they can't observe directly. They model a glove that can keep their hand warm in ice water, similar to some animal parts found in arctic animals. In the other lab, they explore how plants of the same type can have similarities and differences to establish the building blocks for concepts in heredity. They collect data on their observations and draw conclusions as a group. Although first-graders are just beginning their science education, they are already learning some important scientific practices!
Spring: In the spring, first graders explore patterns in the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. They use models to investigate why the sun appears to move across the sky and why the sun rises and sets. Using sunrise/sunset graphs, students notice that there are seasonal patterns as well. Like scientists, students record their observations in science notebooks. Their evidence proves that the sun does have predictable patterns.
Spring: In the spring, first graders explore patterns in the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. They use models to investigate why the sun appears to move across the sky and why the sun rises and sets. Using sunrise/sunset graphs, students notice that there are seasonal patterns as well. Like scientists, students record their observations in science notebooks. Their evidence proves that the sun does have predictable patterns.
Second Grade
Fall: The fall lessons in second grade feature the Reed Brook habitat. One lesson begins at the brook where students observe the frog habitat and learn how different kinds of frogs survive the winter. In the other lesson, students role-play different organisms in the Reed Brook habitat to discover the interactions in the habitat. After that, they explore the brook habitat and see if they can identify their organism!
Spring: As part of their unit on Earth's Changing Surface, students investigate beach erosion by manipulating a wave chamber. They test the effectiveness of beach grass, a breakwater, and a reef in controlling erosion. To gather evidence for their claims, they measure the area of erosion using a grid.
Spring: As part of their unit on Earth's Changing Surface, students investigate beach erosion by manipulating a wave chamber. They test the effectiveness of beach grass, a breakwater, and a reef in controlling erosion. To gather evidence for their claims, they measure the area of erosion using a grid.
Third Grade
Fall: Third-graders learn about what fossils can tell us about life long ago. They match a real fossil with a picture of the organism when it was alive, and make detailed scientific drawings to reconstruct the fossil. They use these drawings as evidence when discussing the environment that was most likely present when the fossil was deposited. In the other lab, students explore the question, "How do populations change when the environment changes?" They use different sized binder clips to represent different sized bird beaks. Each beak is able to pick up a certain size food. Over the course of several "seasons", students are able to observe the impact the availability of certain food has on a population's ability to survive and reproduce. In this way, students gain an understanding of the role of natural selection in determining physical characteristics that benefit a population.
Spring: Students become junior botanists by observing common characteristics of plants that allow scientists to group them. Using these characteristics and a plant key, students are able to identify unknown wildflowers. To study life cycles, a scientist from the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project explains the mosquito life cycle and bring samples of mosquito larvae and pupae for students to examine.
Spring: Students become junior botanists by observing common characteristics of plants that allow scientists to group them. Using these characteristics and a plant key, students are able to identify unknown wildflowers. To study life cycles, a scientist from the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project explains the mosquito life cycle and bring samples of mosquito larvae and pupae for students to examine.
Fourth Grade
Fall: Students learn that scientists use models to investigate things that are difficult to study directly. In one lab, they learn how the eye works by making a pinhole camera and making observations through it. Back in the classroom, they compare the structure of the pinhole camera with the structure of the eye. In the other lab, they use models to answer the question, "Why do volcanoes erupt in different ways?" Students create lava flows with baking soda and vinegar, and then model a different type of volcano by adding a cork to the opening. The surprising results show what can happen under pressure!
Spring: Students use Hot Wheels and track to investigate potential and kinetic energy. In one lesson, they design a rollercoaster that will provide the longest ride for a car. In the other lesson, they explore transfer of energy using collisions between cars.
Spring: Students use Hot Wheels and track to investigate potential and kinetic energy. In one lesson, they design a rollercoaster that will provide the longest ride for a car. In the other lesson, they explore transfer of energy using collisions between cars.
Fifth Grade
Fall: The focus for the fall visit to The Living Lab is on protecting natural resources. Fifth graders work with engineers from the town engineering and water departments to learn how stormwater is managed on the Day School property. Both natural and manmade solutions to the problem of road salt in Reed Brook are demonstrated. Students then use the engineering design process to design and test their own raingarden.
Spring: As students near the end of their elementary education in science, they are offered a hands-on review of topics they will likely see on the science MCAS test. They review the rock cycle by pretending they are a rock, and by following the direction arrows showing various processes until they become another kind of rock. Students identify mineral samples using common properties. Light energy is also part of this review. Students move from station to station, testing the properties of reflection, refraction, and absorption. By reviewing topics from previous years, students will be better prepared to show their proficiency on a wide spectrum of topics.
Spring: As students near the end of their elementary education in science, they are offered a hands-on review of topics they will likely see on the science MCAS test. They review the rock cycle by pretending they are a rock, and by following the direction arrows showing various processes until they become another kind of rock. Students identify mineral samples using common properties. Light energy is also part of this review. Students move from station to station, testing the properties of reflection, refraction, and absorption. By reviewing topics from previous years, students will be better prepared to show their proficiency on a wide spectrum of topics.