Hands-on Science Experience for Amelia Academy Students
Science students at Amelia Academy visited the Science Museum of Virginia on September 28. The ninth-grade students have been studying movements of the earth. One of the highlights of their visit was the prominent display of a Foucault pendulum that dominates the lobby of the Museum.
The students also experienced several hands-on activities that paralleled their classroom studies in Earth Science. They were especially interested in the new exhibit, Science on Sphere. This exhibit shows animated images of climate and geological events. The students compared the recent Virginia earthquake with the one that sparked the tsunami in Japan. They also observed hurricane Irene’s path up the east coast.
The students, and their teacher Mrs. Melissa Sease, rode a Segway around the lobby. Finally, they watched trained rats playing basketball in a tangible demonstration of Pavlov’s animal behavior training.
Mrs. Sease said about the trip, “It is such a unique experience to observe the real life applications of what you have only seen in textbooks or power point presentations. As a teacher, it is rewarding to see students get excited about science and have that “light bulb” moment of understanding what they are observing.”
Back Row left to right: Daniel C., Carter S., Chelsea D., Sierra W., and Tyler M.
Front Row left to right: Teacher: Mrs. Sease, Ben D., Andrew C., Eric W., Austin M., and Ben B.