Last Year’s Teacher of the Year for Baldwin County, Mrs. Jill Jones, teaches science for both fifth and sixth grades at Perdido Elementary/Middle School.  Her knowledge and love for science are evident in the effort she puts into making sure that all of her students are given the opportunity to engage in the learning process through hands-on experiments.

Fifth grade students were recently involved in the testing of everyday indicators to identify common acids and bases.  While the facts can be learned from a text book, research proves that students learn best when they are actively involved in a hands-on discovery approach to science.  This approach reinforces the standards learned from the text, while teaching additional skills which can not be taught through simple memorization of facts.

Students learned about the importance of wearing the appropriate safety equipment, in this case safety goggles, before they began their tests. After reviewing the characteristics of acids and bases, students explored using an easy to make indicator solution to determine if household materials were acidic, basic, or neutral. They tested a wide variety of common household indicators such as:  milk, lemon juice, baking soda, with black tea, red cabbage juice and grape juice, to determine which were acids and which were bases. Once they were finished, students reported on their findings.

When students were questioned about having the opportunity to do actual science experiments, all indicated that they love science especially when they have the opportunity to recreate experiments instead of just reading about them in the book.  Collaborating with their peers to ‘find the answer’ helps to keep everyone engaged in the learning process.