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| Vol. 19, No. 4 | Sept. 23, 1999 |
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| Vol. 19, No. 4 | Sept. 23, 1999 |
These seventh-grade students from Lewes Middle School are in the process of inoculating
pinto bean plants with the tobacco mosaic virus to study what effect the virus will have on the plant.
At the Milton Middle School, seventh graders plant tomato, cucumber and pinto beans to see how seeds sprout and develop. Atop heating pads and under grow lights the plants thrive, bearing new shoots day after day, thus teaching students how to provide the proper environment for germination.
In Lewes Middle School, seventh-grade students are scooping samples of soil to look for microscopic worms called nematodes. Observing critters like nematodes allows students to glimpse some obstacles farmers face when growing crops.
These three schools in Cape Henlopen School District are immersed in a yearlong program aimed at helping schools meet new Delaware Science Standards. Made possible by a $40,000 Delaware Excellence-in-Education grant from MBNA, the program was designed to help students develop a positive attitude towards science-plants and agroecosystems in particular.
Daryl Whittington, plant and soil sciences, said the original idea for a hands-on program to teach students more about growing things came from the American Phytopathological Society.
"Plants are not dealt with as much in biology classes as they could be," he said. "We wanted to give students an opportunity to learn more about how their fruits, vegetables and grains are grown."
With this in mind, Robert Carroll and Tom Evans, both plant and soil sciences, wrote the MBNA proposal and served as consultants to the program throughout the year. Whittington, who called Carroll the "heart and soul of the program," runs the day-to-day unit with Cape Henlopen faculty.
Whittington said getting the classrooms ready to grow plants required thought because the rooms were too cold and didn't have enough light to grow plants properly.
"I provided all the classrooms with lights that I hung from chains over the growing area. Then, I ordered grow pads to place under the trays of soil so they would be warm enough for seeds to germinate."
Sherri Cook, special education teacher at Cape Henlopen High School, said the students were excited about growing things.
"We were astonished at how well even the most reluctant learners performed in this class. Even little things like preparing growth medium and planting seeds riveted their attention," she said.
"Not only did students enjoy the hands-on work and checking their plants each day, but they wanted to share their results and their knowledge with one another," Cook noted. "Prior to this project, these same students often refused to make oral presentations and neglected to turn in homework."
Cook said that many of these students have never experienced success in school yet now they were involved in a rigorous academic program and performed enthusiastically the entire time. The students learned how to use a hand lens and microscope and to work patiently using appropriate scientific techniques.
"The overall results of this unit far exceeded everyone's expectations," Cook said. "One student was so excited about growing fungi that he went home and concocted his own agar (the gel-like substance used in petri dishes) out of Jello. He seeded it with some fungus he found, and grew his own mold."
When the student brought the mold into class, Whittington made a slide and identified the fungus for the student. It was penicillium, species unknown, he said.
According to Whittington, all seventh and 10th graders except for honor students in the Cape Henlopen School District-some 240 students-participated in this program.
Overall, the teachers were "overwhelmed" with student interest and hope to continue the program next year, Cook said.
-Pat McAdams
