By Maddie Ball

As Lower School students, 3rd and 4th Grade classes are required to go to science classes a few times a week. When I was in Lower School at Collegiate, I didn’t realize that Lower School science classes would help build a foundation for my experiences in Middle and Upper school science. 

As a Lower Schooler, I was ecstatic to get out of my classroom and go to science. We would get into a line and let the teacher lead us to our class. We would walk into the classroom and begin to learn about science. It was a change of scenery, a place to get away. It made me feel more mature and older.

Kim Smythe, a former Collegiate parent, is one of the current science teachers in the Lower School, and I got the opportunity to talk to her about what she is currently teaching her 3rd and 4th Grade students and even observe one of her classes. “Science is a passion” for Smythe, and she has been teaching at Collegiate since 2015 and loves it.

Her 3rd Grade classes are currently making roller coasters to help them understand the concept of friction, gravity, potential energy, and kinetic energy. Ryan A. (‘29) (my half-brother) states that his favorite part of the roller coaster project was “learning about energy.”  They are using tubes, blocks, tape, and a marble to test their roller coasters. There is a twist: a requirement that the coaster must have two hills and one loop. 

Ryan struggled to meet this requirement when building his coaster. He said his group only had “one hill instead of two.” He and his classmates had three class periods to make the roller coaster. Luckily, all the roller coasters were successful in one way or another, but a few projects had some minor issues. Smythe talked to the kids after they presented their coasters and helped talk through what they learned through the building process. This helps reinforce the concepts they are learning. 

These are all topics that I, an 11th Grader, have also learned in physics this year with Upper School physics teacher Dr. David Headley. Although we have gone into more depth studying these concepts, it is refreshing to know that the Lower School science program is preparing students for their time in Middle and Upper School. 

Smythe’s 4th Graders are also working on their Innovation Expo projects, where 4th Graders get to pick their science concept to study and a project to display the concept. Smythe explains this project as a “culmination of skills in engineering, science and technology.” The 4th Graders get the opportunity to teach 3rd Graders about their topic through a game or a project. Some examples of this project are a putt-putt golf game that teaches about forces, or LEGO WeDo Robotics for soccer. The 4th graders get to choose any scientific concept that they have learned or have interest in, then they study these concepts and create a project that reflects this concept. It gives them a taste of complete independence before they go to Middle School and teaches science with an exciting, creative approach. 

Lower School science has evolved tremendously since I attended Collegiate’s Lower School. Not only have the science teachers changed, but the curriculum and teaching methods are different than before. Smythe prefers to focus on inquiry and lab-based projects, with investigations that are hands-on using science practices. Rather than note-taking, projects and activities are used to encourage active engagement in the class. This is a more effective method of teaching for young children and will help them remember the concepts they have learned. She also puts her students into groups for projects. Ryan A. (‘29) says that “working together is the hardest part of the projects.” But this also helps kids to learn how to work together from a young age, so that as they get older they will be able to work with others easily.

Smythe has helped change the Lower School Science program into what it is today. She has made sure to keep the kids engaged by giving them more hands-on projects and less textbook reading. She has put her students in groups to help with their social skills. Her methods of teaching are effective and help the students internalize what they are learning rather than just memorize, thus they understand the concepts better.