Solar Science Success at Washington School

First grade and third grade students teamed up at Washington Primary School for a hands-on solar oven project that blended science, technology, literacy and sustainability.

After reading “Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea” with library media specialist Rebecca Kraus, third grade students identified a real-world problem in the library media learning space; an abundance of small, used up, broken crayons.

Using inspiration from the text, students explored a creative, eco-friendly solution: using solar ovens to melt the crayons into new ones. With pizza boxes donated by Galleria Pizza in Merrick, students built their ovens using directions from the text, applying what they learned about sustainability, solar energy, reflection, absorption and insulation.

Using simple materials like aluminum foil, black paper, plastic wrap and newspaper, students constructed “ovens” that harness the sun’s energy. The reflective foil directed sunlight into the oven, the black paper absorbed the heat, and the clear plastic wrap and insulation helped trap it. This created a mini greenhouse effect perfect for melting crayons into new shapes.

After much research and planning during their library and technology classes, third grade students shared their knowledge with our first graders by preparing presentations that explained the science behind how the solar ovens work. This not only helped third grade students sharpen their presentation skills, it also reinforced light science concepts first graders have been learning during their science periods. Following the presentations, both grade levels worked together to place broken crayons into molds, using the power of the sun to create new ones.

“This multidisciplinary project gave our Washington Winners the opportunity to mentor, learn, and support each other through research, collaboration and teamwork,” Principal Michelle Richards said.

The project was made possible through the collaboration of Rebecca Kraus (library/technology), third grade teachers Vivian Joseph, Angela Ramirez, Katie Kalkau and Victoria Creighton, first grade teachers Lauren Whitney, Nicole Monte, Diane Scheel and Meghan Larkin and permanent substitutes Kayla Boyle and Megan Agrillo.

“Special thanks to all the teachers, Dr. Richards and our hardworking Washington students for making this project a success,” Ms. Kraus said.