Fourth-grade students at Schultz Elementary School enjoyed some special presentations from fellow students this week in subjects like astronomy, psychology, biology and … cats?
Schultz Elementary fourth-grade teachers Laurie Dieter and Sarah Heald hosted a gallery of student presentations. Dieter said the students spent one period a week for six weeks researching a topic they were interested in and were tasked with putting together a presentation for their fellow students.
“I just wanted to get them to engage in something they are interested in,” Dieter said. “We have a lot of students at lots of different learning levels. (During this project) they could do what they are comfortable with. It meets the needs of different learners.”
Heald said she also had her class begin research projects and the two classes were given the chance to look at each other’s presentations Wednesday.
Kayde Smith, a fourth grader in Dieter’s class whose presentation was titled “How the Earth was Made,” detailed how minerals in space slowly came together to form Earth and said he studied the topic because he had always been curious about it.
“I’d been wondering since I was little,” Smith said. “I liked doing research because I learned stuff I didn’t know before.”
His classmate, Camryn Johnson, did a project about how intelligent animals compare to humans and said the desire to research the topic arose from her pets.
“I’ve always grown up around animals,” Johnson said. “I’m really into animals. Doing research was super cool and making the slide show was fun.”
Johnson said she really enjoyed finding the pictures to place in the slide show.
Dieter said she was pleased with her students and glad they enjoyed the project.
“I’m very proud of them,” Dieter said. “I’m excited they had fun. I feel like with all testing and all the demands we have to meet we have to keep it fun.”
Schultz Principal Travis Woodworth also stopped by to see the projects Wednesday and said he enjoyed seeing the students present research on topics they enjoy.
“They are so passionate,” Woodworth said. “It’s great to see.”
