Whether in physical science or organic chemistry, students of all ages can become masters of their universe.

Our journey into the world of science starts with simply categorizing rocks by their features or watching a seed grow into a plant. Students build upon the basics as they move up through Physical Science to Earth Science and from Biology to Chemistry. Each different area is linked and it is important to understand how they all fit together.

I help students understand their homework, prepare for regents exams and learn how to thoroughly analyze their reference tables. We also practice effective study habits, including flash card memory games, linking terms to sound and color or turning one’s notes into a presentation. I like to remind my students that if we can encode information in more than one area of their brain, then we have increased their chance of recalling it on a quiz or test. In a way, this is alone is science in action.

In addition to school work, I like to include thematic unit activities of the student’s choice. In the past, we have explored backyards as botanists and collected samples of seeds. We pressed flowers and leaves, labeled them by scientific classification and organized our findings in exploratory journals. Other students interested in chemistry have conducted PH experiments with soil and rain samples and documented their data in charts and graphs. Another great activity for young students is to collect rock samples and sort them by color, size, shape, hardness and luster. Wherever the student’s interest may lie in the world of science, we will find a way to pursue it.