Next Generation Science Today at Allen-Stevenson

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE TODAY AT ALLEN-STEVENSON. By Jenny Bruce, Associate Director of Communications

The boys love coming into this space to learn and explore,” Science Department Head, Jack Cooley says with a smile, “You can see why!” With resplendent sunlight streaming through the greenhouse roof, the lush, earthy fragrance of ripe tomatoes, zucchini flowers, eggplant, and budding cucumbers, and the tilapia water tank burbling in the background, the “why” is very apparent. All age groups have enjoyed this new, fertile addition to Allen-Stevenson’s beautiful learning spaces as science continues to evolve as a living study and practice for both the

School’s faculty and students.

Allen-Stevenson’s science department has developed a rich, inquiry, and project-based curriculum for all age groups with an emphasis on real-world connections supported by

Allen-Stevenson’s engaging research environments – newly appointed Science and Engineering

Labs and the Greenhouse. Thoughtfully informed by Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Allen-Stevenson’s science curriculum integrates important concepts like cause and effect while exploring connections between theoretical knowledge and hands-on applications. Not coincidentally, NGSS standards are very much in keeping with the School’s Vision Statement, supporting a joyful, stimulating learning environment where students develop collaborative, interpersonal skills, including empathy-building and critical thinking. Needless to say, enforcing these standards demands an above-and-beyond passion for teaching with a hearty dose of creativity which, based on this year’s scientific adventures alone, is abundant in AllenStevenson’s faculty.

Eighth Grade To understand which chemical compounds affect the air we breathe (carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particle pollution, and sulfur oxides) Ms. Donahue and her eighth-grade students took to the city streets to test air quality with Flow Monitors. Using the NGSS crosscutting framework (patterns, cause and effect, and stability and change), Ms. Donahue introduced an element of social justice, asking students to compare Air Quality Index data against demographic information to identify patterns. Analyzing the relationship between geographical location, socio-economics, and air pollution, the boys were passionate in their pursuit of data and in their discussions about the implications of their findings in their city and in the world at large.

A significant principle of NGSS is that scientific studies are not merely “a series of isolated facts” for students to memorize. When learning Newton’s Laws of physics, formulas, and theories, with the Winter Olympics in full swing, Ms. Donahue asked eighth-grade boys which of Newton’s principles and forces of motion apply to Olympic sports and how? Connecting learning to the students’ interests boosts both student engagement and understanding, hence, the “Winter Olympics” science games; lab-tabletop curling and figure skating, and bobsledding. It was thrilling to observe the boys joyfully applying their understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion and Momentum by literally putting them into motion!

Seventh Grade This concept of “3D learning” is strongly endorsed by NGSS, underscoring the importance of evidence-based, model/theory building and science as an iterative process. With this in mind, Mr. Cooley’s seventhgrade science class set out to evaluate which of the Greenhouse’s multiple hydroponic systems created the greatest biomass growth in lettuce from seed to plant. After planting seeds and monitoring their growth over seven weeks, students drafted a "Claim-Evidence-Reasoning" statement later presented to

Next Generation Science Standards

Testing air quality Testing physics with Olympic competition

7th Grade scientific research presentations

Designing hydroponics systems

their classmates in a simulation of a “scientific research meeting.” Building upon their findings, the boys tackled an additional engineering challenge; to design their own functioning hydroponics systems. Accessing this tiered understanding supports a vital sense of competence and confidence in our young boys preparing to head off to high school.

Sixth Grade Allen-Stevenson faculty embrace that learning and cognition are not brain-only processes and that boys (and girls) often learn best when interacting with their physical environment. Harnessing these concepts, Mr. Divan’s sixth-grade students applied newly acquired geological knowledge to identify and categorize rock formations in Central Park. Standing beside the massive “Balanced Boulder’’ added another tangible dimension to contemplating how a glacier, approximately 12,000 years ago, had the force to move and leave behind such a large, curious, and majestic souvenir for boys to behold today.

Back in the science lab, donning their engineering hats, sixth-grade students tackled wind energy using a classroom turbine model to observe how different blade pitches affect voltage readings. In small teams the boys were steeped in designing and testing their own prototypes of wind turbines, developing, with total creative freedom, a unique blade design that optimized power output. This hands-on scientific modeling experience is yet another fundamental component of the NGSS 3D learning framework.

Fifth Grade “Tapping into the boys’ interests is key to building a successful science curriculum,” said Mr. Cooley, “As is giving them the time to explore multiple facets of a given topic.” Following this principle in addition to the iterative Engineering Design Process, Ms. Rodriguez’s and Ms. Donahue’s fifth-grade science students plunged into a study of the Hudson River. After learning about the river’s watershed and estuary covering 13,400 miles (mostly in the state of New York) the boys analyzed digital topographical maps before creating their own 3D clay models of the Hudson riverbed. Students investigated the complexities of water pollution and the human impact on climate change and finally designed and presented innovative and imaginative models of tools to improve water quality.

Applying their newfound understanding of the Hudson River and the Hudson Raritan Estuary, fifth-grade boys became researchers with the non-profit Billion Oyster Project (BOP). After visiting BOP headquarters on Governors Island, students have a greater appreciation of the oyster as a keystone species in New York City’s waterways. The boys measured oysters, evaluated water quality, identified the ecosystem’s fauna and flora, and are now tasked with overseeing data collection for A-S’s oyster cage housed alongside the East 90th Street Ferry Landing. Students will continue to collect and share data with BOP to assess how oysters fare at different locations throughout the estuary. In this meaningful way, the A-S science curriculum is literally embedded in the local community, and students apply their efforts to solving real-world challenges.

Fourth Grade As each student’s knowledge is constructed over time, the foundations of hands-on, three-dimensional scientific learning and the NGSS standards (doing science as opposed to memorizing science) are integrated to support deeper learning beginning in the Lower Division. Mr. Warren’s fourth-grade students learned about the importance of healthy water to our local

Constructing wind turbines

Central Park geology study

Measuring oysters

Field trip to Pelton Pond

ecosystem through “Trout in the Classroom,” a program allowing students to discover the natural habitat and life cycle of Brook Trout. In early November, Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery visited and demonstrated trout “stripping,” the process of harvesting eggs and fertilizing them —right outside the School on 78th Street! In a temperature-controlled tank, the boys raised the trout from eggs to fingerlings, methodically monitoring water quality and temperature, solemnly removing fish that did not thrive, and measuring the fingerlings to ensure they were ready for release. In late April students released the young trout into Pelton Pond on a sunny spring field trip to the Hudson Valley.

Third Grade Bringing science to life is essential to creating a love of learning in our young boys. In the study of magnetism, forces, and motion, third-grade students were urgently implored by the (pretend) mayor of (fictional) Faraday to reassure concerned citizens that their new “floating train” was safe! The boys held a “town meeting” to share the science behind maglev trains leaning upon their understanding of three types of maglev cars they designed and raced in the classroom.

Second Grade Second-grade students, meanwhile, were grounded in landforms and plate tectonics as Ms. Rodriquez challenged the boys to construct models of volcanoes that they “erupted” to the joyful cheers of their classmates. Kicking a classic science room activity up many notches, and in keeping with the Science Department’s commitment to integrating environmental justice, students also designed well-thought-out evacuation plans for a community in Central America located near an active volcano; a subject of personal interest to Ms. Rodriquez who was born and raised in Costa Rica, a verdant paradise boasting five active volcanoes.

First Grade Back in our own green space, Ms. Vermont Davis invited first-grade students to the Greenhouse to explore the life cycle of plants and get their hands dirty! Establishing a preliminary understanding of hydroponics, students learned about “substrates’’ that replace soil. After planting seeds for lettuce, kale, arugula, and basil in both soil and in the hydroponic and aquaponic systems (a tank filled with growing tilapia!), the boys charted and monitored the “germination” of their seeds/embryo to seedlings, and from seedlings into young plants. Learning to visually identify different plant growth stages, students tracked their plants’ progress in weekly Crop Calendars. The Greenhouse also provides an organic opportunity to learn some of life’s more difficult lessons. Not all seeds germinate, and sometimes plants do not survive. Yet, Ms. Vermont-Davis reassures the boys that a careful scientist learns as much from an experiment that fails as from one that succeeds.

Kindergarten For Allen-Stevenson’s youngest learners, play is still an important vehicle for real learning. In order to understand various forces such as friction and its inherent properties, the boys were each given a matchbox car and asked to make predictions; on what surface will the car travel fastest—a tile floor, a rug, or sandpaper? Students pushed their cars in different directions and at different speeds alternating surfaces. When the kindergartners returned to their seats and journals, excited to share their observations, they circled yes or no as to whether their predictions were accurate. Ms. Vermont-Davis reminded them that in science we learn by experimenting, and making mistakes is a part of that exciting process!

To acknowledge the importance of the full range of NGSS skill development, the Allen-Stevenson Science Department will be updating its name to the Science and Engineering Department for the 2022-23 school year. With new technology and understanding, a great deal has changed in the field of science since the School was founded in 1883, including how the sciences are taught. In the competent and nurturing hands of Allen-Stevenson’s Science Department faculty, the study of science continues to evolve and grow to support students in becoming Passionate Learners and Compassionate Achievers. Models of volcanoes

First graders plant seeds