It’s not just a place to take out books. The library at Berner Middle School is a place for innovation and exploration. That was the case during recent lessons on circuits for sixth graders which provided plenty of captivation.
Led by library media specialists Laurie Martucci-Walsh and Julie Rogers, students worked with Snap Circuits to explore different scientific concepts. The kits included battery holders, motors, switches, conductors and fans. Students put the pieces together with a goal of getting the fan to spin. By switching the circuits around, the fan spun in different directions, as students explored polarity to direct the flow of energy.
Holding a feather above, students observed if it was pulled toward the fan or away from it based on the spin direction. For the last activity, they used Makey Makey to create a human circuit. By holding hands, they created a closed circuit. Two students would let go, and then hold hands again to play a bongo sound. The goal was to show students how the human body conducts electricity because of the water inside them.
The hands-on science lesson reinforced concepts such as force and energy.