Students from LeRoy School had a rare chance to become scientists during a trip to the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon on May 16 with the Light Source Student Experience.
Sixteen students from grades 9-10 divided into four groups to perform experiments on fruit peels, where they experiemented on how matter reacts with light, says the Canadian Light Source press release.
Students were enthusiastic about the project, says teacher Danielle Bilodeau, and that was evident in their extensive lab reports.
“Usually they are short and sweet and simple,” she said, “but I gave them these projects and, because they know they are doing experiments with scientists, they wrote paragraphs and paragraphs and did all sorts of background research before we came.”
Education program lead at the Light Source, Tracy Walker, says this is a way for students to get hands-on experience in the lab, while tying in with the curriculum.
“That way, they understand what they are learning in the classroom in a real world context,” Walker said.
Even with all of the rules of the lab, grade 10 student, Cassidy Duguid had fun with her experiment.
This was a great way for students to do real science, says Bilodeau, with plenty of opportunities in school to do art and sport but few to explore the science world.
Work is not done for the LeRoy students with the project continuing back in the classroom where they will complete their lab reports based on their data analysis.
In 2017-2018, LeRoy School was one of 10 Saskatchewan schools with 150 students total participating in the program.
