Macca Plumbing & Heating Grant: Learning Floats Our Boat!
- School Year: 2022-2023
- Applicants: Sharon Zajack, Lead Teacher & Jennifer Russell
- School: Smith
- Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Technology
Learning Floats Our Boat On board the 40 foot schooner, SoundWaters, Smith third graders gain first-hand experience with the a multitude of science and engineering concepts studied in the classroom. Students embark on a 2 hour educational voyage in Long Island Sound, an Estuary of National Significance, where they gain a greater appreciation for the diversity of wildlife in a local coastal ecosystem and an improved understanding of their "place in space" as citizens of West Hartford and Connecticut. While onboard students identify the structural elements of the schooner and their functions that allow it to capture wind energy and move. They conduct water tests, and observe plant and animal life that typically aren't encountered on a regular trip to a Connecticut Beach. Collecting and observing zoo plankton, tiny but mighty microscopic organisms that are vital to food webs throughout the world, are particularly awe-inspiring. This educational excursion brings real-life context; a deeper understanding and an identifiable purpose for; learning in the classroom each day.