On March 27, parents and students filled The Washington Irving auditorium during the Fourth and Fifth Grade Science Challenge Night as students displayed their research projects and explained what they had learned.
For six weeks, students explored a topic of their choice and employed the scientific method where they asked questions, conducted research, designed and carried out experiments. They used everyday objects to learn about DNA, fingerprints, astronomy, behavioral science, aerodynamics, electricity and force.
Rose Karpenstein studied whether a green roof or a traditional roof would keep a home cooler. “I really am interested in architecture and I love learning about nature,” Karpenstein said.
She built two homes out of boxes and covered one with grass and dirt, then tested the temperature to discover that her hypothesis was correct: as the outside temperature increased, the green roof home stayed cool.
Fourth-grader Ari Moll wanted to find out which was stronger, a human hand or a rubber band. He used a miniature catapult that he constructed with a ruler to test it out.
Challenge Science teacher Maureen Massaro said the project taught research skills and resilience. “There is a real sense of accomplishment here. Some of the children struggled and had to start over, but they learned that they could do this,” said Massaro.
T-1 Rose Karpenstein displays her experiment studying focusing on the environment at a Science Challenge Night.
