Adopt-a-Scientist Volunteer Program
This unique program pairs classroom teachers with volunteers who have an engineering, science, or a technical background. Most volunteers are retirees from the local petrochemical industry.
The goal of the group is captured in the program mission statement: To foster a greater interest in science at the elementary school level.
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There are several ways that A-a-S volunteers can help in your classroom:
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You can obtain more information and/or book a volunteer visit by contacting Wendy at (519) 541-0107 or via e-mail at hooghiwe@lkdsb.net.
Adopt-a-Scientist visits are scheduled according to the availability of volunteers. Currently there are 8-10 volunteers active at any given time in the school year, each with their own preferences and specialties. Not all volunteers conduct all demonstrations, so bear in mind that you may have to be flexible in your desired time window for their visit.
Once you've made arrangements to have an Adopt-a-Scientist visit, you should take the time to meet with your volunteer prior to the classroom visit to discuss expectations, acquire handouts for photocopying, discuss material you may have to review, or preparations that should be done prior to the volunteer's visit to your classroom.
Note: All current A-a-S volunteers are based in the Sarnia Lambton area. Although some of our volunteers are willing to travel to the Chatham Kent region, we are looking for new volunteers in the Chatham Kent region. Your patience while we work toward this goal of expanding the program is appreciated.
Adopt-a-Scientist Demonstrations
This grid is from page 8 of the Ontario Science and Technology Document published in 2007. Highlighted regions are where a corresponding volunteer demonstration exists. Click on the box for a description of the presentation.
Have you had a volunteer recently come into your classroom? Your feedback is important to us. Click here to download the feedback form. It can be sent via interschool mail to: SEP Science Resource c/o Errol Road Public School.
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Strand Grade |
Understanding Life Systems | Understanding Structures and Mechanisms | Understanding Matter and Energy | Understanding Earth and Space Systems |
| 1 | Needs & Characteristics of Living Things | Materials, Objects and Everyday Structures | Energy in Our Lives | Daily and Seasonal Cycles |
| 2 | Growth and Changes in Animals |
Movement
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Properties of Liquids and Solids | Air and Water in the Environment |
| 3 | Growth and Changes in Plants | Strong & Stable Structures |
Forces Causing Movement
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Soils in the Environment |
| 4 | Habitats and Communities | Pulleys | Light and Sound | Rocks, Minerals and Erosion |
| 5 | Human Organ Systems | Forces Acting on Structures & Mechanisms | Properties of and Changes in Matter | Conservation of Energy and Resources |
| 6 | Biodiversity | Flight | Electricity and Electrical Devices | Space |
| 7 | Interactions In the Environment | Form & Function | Pure Substances & Mixtures | Heat in the Environment |
| 8 | Cells | Systems in Action | Fluids | Water Systems |
| Enrichment Activities have also been conducted by A-a-S Volunteers. Possibilities include a modified version of an existing demonstration OR a set of small group activities where teams of up to 8 students can cycle through. As an example, small group activities offered in the past include distillation and chemistry experiments. Availability will depend on the number of volunteers available. If you are interested, please contact Wendy at 519-541-0107 or hooghiwe@lkdsb.net to discuss further. |
Demonstration Descriptions
| Demonstration Title | Simple Machines | ||
| Grade | 2,3,4,5 | Strand | Understanding Structures and Mechanisms |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | 30 min to 2 h depending on grade level |
| Description: This demonstration follows the same format for all grades, but as grade level increases, the detail and complexity of the explanation will increase. The volunteer will bring a large demonstration lever, inclined plane and winch. These models will be used to show students how a 20 kg load can be lifted with relative ease. Students can actually "feel" the advantage of using these machines. In the higher grade levels, force measurements are taken and the theory is discussed. | |||
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| Demonstration Title | Light and Sound | ||
| Grade | 4 | Strand | Understanding Matter and Energy |
| Number of Visits | 2 - one for light, one for sound | Duration of each visit | 2
hr
for Light component
40 min + 15 min per small group for Sound component |
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Description: There are two separate
demonstrations; one for light and the other for sound. Light - An introduction to the properties of light, lasers, and bar codes & scanners, begins this session. The class is then divided into two groups and students participate in a hands-on demonstration on reflection and refraction. Students learning about reflection will see how astronauts used a corner mirror to measure the distance to the moon, use periscopes, experiment with convex/concave mirrors, learn about fiber optic cable and understand why polarized sunglasses block glare. To learn about refraction, students use light boxes, make a telescopes, and make a coloured "oil slick" which shows examples of camouflage in nature. Sound - This demonstration takes place in two parts. The first is a whole-class activity that shows that sound is a form of energy that travels in waves. Part two is an individual session with a small group (ideally, a maximum of eight,) of students. Students will perform various experiments and hands-on demonstrations using tuning fork and an oscilloscope. |
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| Demonstration Title | Pulleys and Gears | ||
| Grade | 4 | Strand | Understanding Structures and Mechanisms |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | 100 minutes for each the pulley and gear components |
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Description: The demonstration is in two
parts. Typically these are done on separate occasions to allow the
teacher to reinforce learning in-between sessions. Preferably, the
pulley demonstration should be presented first. Pulleys - The differences between pulleys and gears are explained. Three types of pulleys are explored. Students will participate in a hands-on demonstration that has them lift a load and measure the effort required to lift that load. Students will also participate in a "tug of war" that clearly shows the advantage of using pulleys. Note that students wear should sneakers for this activity. Gears - Students will explore different types of gears and learn how speed can be increased or decreased in a gear system. Working in small groups, they will work their way through various activities. They will discuss the "gear" system in a bicycle, (which is really a pulley system,) and find out how gears and pulleys are used in the cassette tape deck from a car. Note that there is enough equipment for 30 students. |
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| Demonstration Title | Forces Acting on Structures and Mechanisms | ||
| Grade | 5 | Strand | Understanding Structures and Mechanisms |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of visit | Total time is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. |
| Description: This demonstration consists of three parts. The introduction will include a review of definitions (compression, tension, truss, deck, beam etc.), a discussion of the advantages of different construction materials, a review of different types of bridges. The relationship between shape and strength will also be discussed. Students will then work in groups to build craft stick bridges. These bridges will be tested by placing a load on the bridge and measuring deflection. There will be a short wrap up | |||
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| Demonstration Title | Matter | ||
| Grade | 5 | Strand | Understanding Matter and Materials |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | 2 hours |
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Description: This activity consists of two
30 min activities. Your class will be divided in half, and will work
in teams of two to complete one activity and then switch to the other. The first activity involves determination of the density of ice and three other objects. Volume is measured by displacement and the weight of the objects are measured using digital balances, and density is then calculated. The second activity allows students to measure and plot temperatures during the freezing and melting of water. The resulting curves will be over a 20°C to -15°C range. The session ends with a discussion. The particle theory is applied to explain different densities and the freezing melting process. |
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| Demonstration Title | Microscopy | ||
| Grade | 8 | Strand | Understanding Life Systems |
| Number of Visits | 2 or 3 | Duration of each visit | 2 hrs |
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Description: Volunteers will set up
to 15 microscopes and work with half of your class at a time.
The Grade 8 microscopy demonstration will have students compare, size and draw cheek and onion skin cells. They will also perform an experiment demonstrating osmosis. Note that you do NOT have to book the microscopy kits separately. If you book the A-a-S demonstration, the scopes will automatically be sent to your school. The volunteers will bring the additional necessary equipment. |
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| Demonstration Title | Flight | ||
| Grade | 6 | Strand | Understanding Structures |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | 3 hrs |
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Description: This demonstration is
divided into three parts. 1) Properties of air are discussed using air bags, plastic bottles, and a vacuum pump. 2) Bernoulli's Principle is explained using marbles and then demonstrated using a wing model and an air blower. 3) The concept of "thrust" is studied as students build rockets out of film canisters. Small pellets of dry ice inside the sealed canister will act as a propellant. Students will see that variables such as rocket body size, wing size, and amount of fuel affect how far the rocket will fly. |
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| Demonstration Title | Electricity | ||
| Grade | 6 | Strand | Understanding Matter and Energy |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | 3 hrs |
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Description:
In this session the students will compare the power
consumption of different light bulbs and other electric units, study the
conductivity and magnetic properties of materials, and set-up series
and parallel circuits. Students will work
in through these three activities in groups of 2-3. Adequate space
is required to set up six centres. Worksheets are supplied and
there is follow-up activities for after the session.
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| Demonstration Title | Heat | ||
| Grade | 7 | Strand | Understanding Earth & Space Systems |
| Number of Visits | 1 | Duration of each visit | whole day activity |
| Description: Volunteers will bring liquid nitrogen, dry ice and super balls to give a fun demonstration showing the effects of extreme cold on the properties of materials. Imagine using a banana as a hammer! Students will carry out experiments to determine the bounce of rubber balls at 100º C, room temperature and 0º C. This data is plotted and the students are asked to predict the bounce at -100º C and -200º C. Their hypothesis will be tested using the special coolants. Students will work in teams, plot their results and calculate averages. The wrap up dialogue will include discussion of experimental scatter and the relevance of this rubber behaviour to the real world. | |||
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