Stewart Manor School kindergartners in Christina Vitarelli’s class recently learned about force and how a push or pull motion causes objects to move, stop or change direction.

After identifying examples of pushing and pulling, such as tug of war, kicking a ball and turning on a light switch, the students created mazes out of Legos and cardboard to experiment with the force of motion. They were given toy cars and bouncy balls to push through the maze, seeing which object was easier to move through it.

Date Added: 12/8/2023

Alden Terrace School fourth graders concluded their social studies unit on Native American tribes with a Native American Interactive Experience event, on Nov. 28. The students learned about the Iroquois and Algonquians, as well as their agriculture, shelter, songs and dances, and more.

For the Native American Interactive Experience, each fourth grade class focused on a specific area to present to their peers in grades 2-6. Mr. Lewis’ class invited visiting students to learn about Native American tribal dances, such as the Hoop Dance, Jingle Dress Dance, Men’s Grass Dance and the Chicken Dance. Ms. Loprenzi’s class highlighted how games and communal living brought the tribal community together. The fourth graders showed the other classes how to play Native games, such as ring and pin, the stick game and the bowl game (also known as hubhub). Students created their own bowls and teepees in the STEAM Lab with the 3D printer. Ms. Feige’s class focused on agriculture and arts, with students reading Native poetry aloud and talking about the Three Sisters (which represented the main agricultural crops of beans, corn and squash). The class also sprouted their own seeds, displaying the Ziploc bags with the growing vegetables.

The fourth grade classes spent approximately four weeks learning about Native American tribes and preparing for the event. Along with the interactive experience, the students had a written assessment to describe all that they learned.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 12/6/2023

Dutch Broadway School fifth grade classes all participated in a state-mandated science lab, “What’s in the Bag?” on Nov. 20.

The purpose of the lab was for the students to determine if a new substance was formed after mixing water and antacid tablets in an enclosed Ziploc bag. Working in groups, the students were given a whole tablet, a tablet broken into four pieces or a tablet in many pieces for their experiments. They observed how long it took for their tablet to disintegrate in the water, as well as the phases of matter and the final contents of the bag. The students recorded their observations throughout the experiment.

Date Added: 11/30/2023