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William E. Ray
Pinoak Elementary School, Oil City, Pennsylvania
Subject: Science, Math, Language Arts
Grade: 4-6
"Students of this age seldom notice anything closely," notes fifth-grade science, math, and English teacher William E. Ray of Cranberry, Pennsylvania. "The main objective, then, was to insist that they observe something very closely and develop an insight that simple 'looking at' could not provide.
"The students were fifth graders from a suburban setting," says the veteran of 22 years teaching at fourth- and fifth-grade level. "They could as easily have been from a rural or urban area as far as implementation of this program is concerned. The only requirement is that there be trees, shrubs, or other things that change -- within walking distance of the school.
"The children were introduced to this project by taking them outside Pinoak Elementary School, Oil City, Pa., in March -- average temperature 35 degrees -- and having each pair of them select a living plant specimen. They examined the specimen and were encouraged to develop an empathy with it -- as much as it was alive and shared the same 'Spaceship Earth' as the children.
"Buds were noticed as being a part of each plant and, therefore, became a focal point from which to search for changes. These were the plant parts which were photographed and studied. The students measured the length and width of the bud. Then, they photographed and graphed that information. Next, they sketched the buds and surrounding plant structures on the photograph. Finally, they chemically erased the photographic emulsion and were left with a 'photo sketch.'
"They repeated this procedure biweekly for a period of two months, at which time they were able to analyze the plant changes as graphed, to note and discuss variations, and to predict what changes the next two-week period might bring. By the end of the study, the students were familiar with the darkroom, and they could process the print as well as do most of the steps required to develop the film.
"The students did the sequence of observing, collecting data, measuring, and recording four times to provide records which they could analyze for differences and use to make predictions -- thereby carrying them into the 'inference' level of education.
"Pupils were given ervery possible opportunity to become comfortable with the darkroom and photo-sketching techniques in hopes this would help them develop a solid foundation for building this background into lifetime skills. They were given responsibility for keeping track of all their own materials. This was a part of the total experience and was designed to help them begin to accept responsibility for their own education.
"Subject content, as such, was not stressed. The emphasis was in the area of 'process' skills or developing skills in data collection and processing. Writing skills also were stressed. These writing skills had been developed throughout the year, and this project was a good opportunity for the students to apply those skills in a meaningful situation.
"The students were highly motivated partly because they were outside the classroom doing something different and partly because they were working in a new and exciting medium -- photography -- handling 'expensive' equipment that was fun to use. The sketching of the photos also was fun for them, and they improved their observation and sketching skills. They worked with much more confidence even if the quality was not always greatly improved as seen by comparing the first and last sketches in most series.
"It was a special thrill for them to see the picture disappear and their drawing remain -- even if that drawing was all yellow from the iodine. The greatest surprise occurred when that yellow paper turned white in the fixer solution.
"One of the unanticipated learning situations that occurred was the opportunity to develop a binomial key. The children wanted a way to classify each of their specimens so that they could be told apart, and so that each child could know the name he had given his plant. From that need, they learned how to construct and read a key.
"A parent supervised the activities of the large group in the classroom while a small group went to the darkroom and prepared the prints. Other than that input, there was no need for outside involvement. The intention was to keep the process simple so it could be easily accomplished."
"The materials list included a 35 mm camera, four rolls of black-and-white KODAK TRI X Film, a tripod, a cable release, a small ball of yarn, half-inch graph paper, ballpoint pens, rulers, one cup of 10 percent iodine solution, and darkroom equipment including chemicals, fifty 8 x 10-inch sheets of KODAK POLYCONTRAST II RC Paper, enlarger, trays for prints, and incidentals.
"After the first photo sketching session, l discovered that the 'N' (flat) finish on the paper was much easier to write on than the 'F' (glossy) finish I had been using. Double-weight paper is a necessity because single-weight paper is difficult to dry. The rest of the materials were readily available from the school or from the personal stocks of the children -- the yarn, for example.
"The students worked in pairs. They went outside with a piece of yarn per pair and chose the tree or shrub specimen that was to be the object of study for the next eight weeks. The possible specimens included oaks, maples, ferns, a grapevine, rhododendron, and a couple of varieties of spruce. Each pair of pupils chose a suitable plant and loosely tied their yarn around a healthy-looking bud within easy reach.
"The next day, the class, armed with graph paper, camera, tripod, and cable release, was anxious to leave the classroom and spend time outdoors again. While one partner held the graph paper closely behind the specimen bud, the other partner set up the tripod, focused the camera and took the picture. After all specimens were photographed, the children returned to the classroom to remove and process the film.
"The next day, each student and his partner entered the darkroom, adjusted the equipment, and printed two copies of their bud. Each student also measured the length of his bud and recorded it on a graph. He measured the width of the bud and recorded it on a second graph. On a third graph, he recorded the diameter of the stem just below the bud. Later, the graphed information was analyzed and hypotheses were developed to explain the results. Predictions of how the growth chart would change were encouraged.
"Next, each student traced the bud and the surrounding stem or twig with a ballpoint pen. He used only short lines, connecting the lines as he followed the outline of the stem and bud. Each person also traced one of the squares of the graph paper so it would remain on the final sketch. This was needed so the size of the prints could be noted and kept constant throughout the four printing sessions. Each time a photo was printed, the child made sure the size of the graph-paper square on that negative matched the size of the one he first sketched. He did this by putting the 'number one sketch' under the enlarger and adjusting the size of the image from the new negative until the square from that new negative matched the square on the 'number one sketch' in size. He then was able to print the new photograph, knowing the size relationships would be the same. The plant images could be measured and graphed with reasonable assurance that the resulting figures would represent growth or non-growth of the plant and would not reflect variations in the enlarging process.
"Finally, he immersed the print in a solution of two tablespoons of 10 percent iodine per quart of water until all the photographic emulsion was gone. He placed the print in regular KODAK Fixer until the paper bleached white. All that was left were the lines the child had sketched.
"Each child concluded the study by writing a paper describing the steps of the experiment, what changes he observed, and what he thought would happen to the bud during the next two-week period of its life. Many students spent much time in research, gathering such information as the scientific classification of the plant, where it grows, etc. A few even wanted to 'do it right' and include bibliography cards as part of the study. When I saw their enthusiasm, I developed an official outline and asked them to follow that in making their report. They could embellish as they saw fit.
"The summary paper was checked for completeness and to see if it communicated ideas clearly. It was also graded for grammatical quality. Extra credit was given if the paper suggested strongly enough that plants have as much right to life as the next person."
"The project worked as expected. The children showed a natural curiosity, went to the library for research by themselves, and asked me for answers to questions they found instead of me suggesting the questions to them. I found this refreshing. The children had the usual difficulty expressing themselves in writing, but experience was what they needed and what they got.
"At times, I thought the project was too broad and should have concentrated more in fewer areas. However, now that it is over, I have found that the children have learned more than I expected. They did this more 'on their own' than I am used to them doing. They really weren't fooling around in the library when I thought they were; they were studying.
"I took a one-week course to learn how to use the dry-mount press; the students learned it in one setting because they had the need. Is it important that they know how to use such an instrument? That's probably a matter of philosophy. It certainly is a skill that can be applied to many situations once it is mastered.
"How does one justify the time spent doing the photo sketches? Well, why not? They were easy to do, and they were self stimulating. They were used in the study for a specific purpose, and they gave the children a certain pride in what they were doing. They helped focus attention on the buds, which were the center of our scientific investigation."
"The skills and processes developed in this study are valuable for all situations where the development of scientific processes -- data collection, measuring, recording, analyzing, and predicting -- is important. The application of scientific processes, whether in the laboratory or in the personal lives of the children, is vital if good judgment and correct decisions are to be expected of people.
"These same skills could be developed using any situation where things change in a predictable or unpredictable manner. A class might photograph the length of a shadow produced by a telephone pole at weekly intervals (to graph an annual cycle) or hourly (to show how shadow angle and length change). Or, a teacher might plant radish seeds around the inside perimeter of a quart jar stuffed with damp paper. The class could photograph the seeds daily for a week and keep a running record of the seed changes to enhance the measurement recordkeeping skills at which this sort of study aims.
"I would not try duplicating the 'plant empathy' project in the fall of the year. Of course, the buds would not be available anyway. But, with the complex variety of skills required, I would teach toward this project's end throughout the year and use this project as a culminating activity designed to demonstrate the whole of what the children were capable of doing.
"I found it easy to keep the children working toward a specific goal at a time of year, after Easter, when things are winding down and the children tend to want to do as little as possible," says the satisfied science teacher.