Another year of teaching means another chance to teach young scientists and learn along with them. This is my second school year teaching an elective junior high project based science class that is centered around the GLOBE Program. We have finished our annual group project and after winter break each of my 8 students will start their individual GLOBE Research projects to be presented at our Science Symposium in April.
Our class group project investigated the effects of wind on aerosols. It took us on quite an adventure. From placing sticky aerosol traps outside our school facing cardinal directions to installing and analyzing our new PurpleAir monitor and searching on the school roof for micrometeorites.
Now that I have a full school year and a half under my belt teaching this fun original class, it is becoming less of an experiment itself and more of a well organized class with a purposeful curriculum that covers school and state standards while also inspiring students to become empathetic environmental scientists. I would love to collaborate with other teachers and scientists to make this one of a kind class even more fun and effective: smith.janene@myspartans.org.