Otselic Valley Central School District

Third graders are rainmakers! Fogmakers too, it turns out.In Mr. Gross’s classroom, small plastic cases were filled with hot water, sealed with tight plastic wrap and a rubber band, and finally topped with ice.  In a short time, students watched the hot water evaporate into a steamy “fog.”  This cloudy swirl was followed by falling water droplets on the plastic wrap, created by cooling provided by the ice ceiling overhead.Welcome to the water cycle, all set in motion and confirmed by students! Instead of a big weather process slowly unfolding over many days and many miles, students used a closed system to demonstrate the exact same processes.Sometimes the experiment needed work, which is just what science teaches. “It’s okay to ask questions, and it’s okay to be wrong,” Mr. Gross explained. “Most scientists are wrong 90 percent of the time at the beginning of their study, and their mistakes help them move in more productive directions. What can they do differently?” In our Vikings’ case, they kept working till they saw change.In addition to observing the water cycle in action, Vikings recorded their outcomes. They also explained it to others. Deputy Smith, our SRO,  was a willing participant when students wanted to talk about weather.“I understood what he was explaining until I heard him talk about graupel,” Deputy Smith told us about a conversation with a student. “Graupel turned out to be frozen ice pellets. News to me, but what do I know?  The student explained it very patiently and other kids explained it too because they knew it.”There is educational value in these visits. Sharing new information conversationally is a way for students to integrate and retain their new knowledge, and it’s very interesting for the listener too. “I enjoy this alot,” affirmed Deputy Smith. The next time we're in a weather event, ask a third grader to tell you what they know! [See more on the Facebook photo album.]