Elementary School Science  | Middle School Science | High School Science | Science Smart Facts
Community Partnerships  |  Distance Learning |  District Science Fair

Resourceful Teachers Find Grants to Enhance Science Learning

Stacy Merrill's classroom at Smith Elementary School is known as the stinky room. That's because it is a safe haven for a rabbit, a hamster and a turtle, as well as home base for Mrs. Merrill's students. In addition, first graders in her class and Judy Haggerty's get a special visit each month from a Tanglewood Nature Center educator, who brings a variety of wild animals for them to see. Now in its sixth year, the program has been made possible by a BOCES Teacher Center grant, Nature Comes to First Grade, written by Mrs. Merrill.

I first wrote the grant when we became more restricted in our ability to take field trips, said Mrs. Merrill. Rather than go to them, we now can bring the animals from Tanglewood to us. It's important to take advantage of the community partners we have right in our backyard.

Through the Tanglewood grant, Mrs. Merrill integrates the first grade Science curriculum with the numerous non-fiction selections provided in the Scott Foresman English Language Arts series. The schedule is carefully constructed so that the monthly visit from Tanglewood coincides with topics covered in the classroom. Complementary book selections and visual displays are reviewed and discussed by the teachers and students before the demonstration, so the students are well prepared. For example, Tanglewood's Mr. Ian recently led the knowledgeable first graders in a lively discussion about Birds of a Feather before showing the children a live owl and hawk. 

The program consists of 12 visits with the nature center from October through June. As a culminating event, the first graders will create and present a PowerPoint^® presentation showing what they've learned for an end-of-year celebration for family members. By bringing Science, Social Studies, Writing, Reading and Technology together, the year-long unit provides enhanced relevance for the young students.