WPES Students Experience STEAM Through Cultivation of an Outdoor Pond
Washington Park Elementary School (WPES) students in Maria Brown’s third grade STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) class experience environmental science every day.
Mrs. Brown, the STEAM lead teacher, at WPES, worked with parent volunteer Dustin Wilde to start an indoor garden as an addition to the campus’ pond, outdoor classroom, and raised bed garden. With the encouragement of Dr. Shawn Holder and Laura Thompson, principal and assistant principal, the school grounds have been utilized to help engage students and enhance their educational experience. As students learn from the four different areas of the site, readers can be educated as well.
Mrs. Susan Haynes, Georgia Master Gardener and school community partner, and former educator in Jasper County, volunteered to work with the students on a regular basis and donate Koi fish and many of the pond supplies.
Recently, Mrs. Haynes visited the class and conducted a chemistry experiment featuring a pH testing of the pond water. Students were allowed to test for pH using a litmus paper test kit while pH values were explained as important chemical indicators of water quality.
The students investigated the water quality of a pond sample and measured pH to gather information about the health of the ecosystem using physical, biological and chemical indicators to determine the best next steps to keep the plants, soil and fish healthy. Each student recorded the test results and reviewed that when water has a pH below 7, it is considered acidic and that most organisms prefer water with a pH between 6.5 and 8.5.
Pond studies are done in the STEAM lab where an aquarium will be set up for long-term observation of pond life. The pH test was perfect for the young science enthusiasts. This activity involved using STEAM as an innovative practice to impact math and literacy and peak interest in experiencing learning—by doing.
Donations from staff and the community with support from the district make these partnerships possible. These collaborations with community stakeholders will strengthen the ties that bind students to the environment and plant seeds of learning in the children as they learn content area material through exploration of the world.