BRAELYN HALL and Emily Bove, 4th graders at the Woodville School, share their science fair project called “Eye See You” about how different types of eyeglasses work.
WAKEFIELD — Approximately 50 Woodville Elementary School students gathered on Wednesday evening to share science fair projects with classmates and members of our community. Working independently or in small groups, the 3rd and 4th grade students completed 30 projects on topics such as how plants grow, the pH of common beverages and impact on teeth, the colors used in common candies, glow sticks and glow worms, train technologies, propulsion, aerodynamics and friction, liquid density, cooling properties, and the science of sound. Students generated their own questions for exploration, executed experiments and presented findings following scientific principles. According to Principal Matt Carter, “it is exciting to see the scientific method on display here at the Woodville.”
Fourth graders Braelyn Hall, Emily Bove and Leah Skorupski, who collaborated on a project called “Eye See You” reflected on what they learned and the process of completing the project. Emily reflected, “I didn’t know that the shape of your eye could change the type of glasses that you need – like a long eye means that you are short-sighted.” Braelyn added that they “learned a lot of words that they didn’t know before, and that light is why glasses work!” Leah commented that the project was fun to do as a group, “9.5 out of 10.” Likewise, 4th grader Hunter Thorman, who did a project on how liquids impact sound production, reflected that his favorite part was “thinking through how to write and describe things so that it is the most clear to people.”
In addition to student presentations, Woodville family members who work in scientific careers joined in the science fair and shared their passions and professions with students. Students and community members visited tables and engaged with activities including robotics, computer science, genetics, lab testing, lung function, physics and sound. Barbara Anagnos said, “I just want to share with students a little bit about what is possible with genetics.” Computer Scientist Justin Basque shared “it was really great to have the community come together and learn about science and I enjoyed the kids’ questions.”
Summing up the experience, fourth grader Calvin Sessions commented, “it was an interesting and fun way for people to express their interests and knowledge, two thumbs up.”