Students tell science stories at Marion Middle School

Students tell science stories at Marion Middle School

Class uses creative approach to study the weather

Marion School District We all talk about the weather but no one can do anything about it.

Well, seventh-grade students at Marion Middle School took that axiom to heart and did something about the weather.

As a project for their thirdnine weeks grading period, students in Tonya Parham’s science classes had to use concepts they had learned to produce a “book” about the weather that fourth and fifth grade students could understand.

“They had to use their notes and outside resources to explain weather so a younger student could understand,” Parham said. “They had to get their points across in simple terms.”

She said she came up with the idea for the project based assignment and urged the students to be “as creative and imaginative as possible.”

“It integrated science and literature,” she said. “The students could write fictional stories, use super heroes and one even had a damsel in distress! The kids got really excited and began to ask about character development and other ideas for their stories.”

The youngsters spent two weeks doing their research and one week in class and at home working on their story. To add to the challenge, students had to find pictures to illustrate each page of their book. Some said that finding pictures was not as easy as it sounds.

“At first, I thought ‘wow’ this is going to be easy,” seventh-grader Aja Le’Flore said, until she started researching her chosen subject, flooding in Arkansas.

“It took me three days to write the book!” she said, “and I learned a lot about flooding, including there are a lot of snakes that live in and around water! I also learned that dry land, like a desert, can flood because the soil cannot absorb the water.”

Of all the stories, 22 were chosen to be read by the author to students at Marion Intermediate School.

The day of their readings, students were told to dress nicely, since they would be representing MMS. Parham was not surprised to see many of the young ladies in nice dresses and many of the young men wearing coats and ties for the event.

By Mike Douglas