Students make “electrifying” presentations

Cutline – On February 28, students in Mrs. Kim Berkley’s Fourth Grade Science classes, including Brendon Hinzy and Thomas Mitchell (from left, top photo) presented their “electric houses” to members of the community and District faculty, staff and board members. The students have spent the last several months studying a unit of electricity. The final step of the unit was to “wire” wooden houses with a variety of circuits and then present their work to their guests.

The skills fourth grade students at Meyersdale Area Elementary School have acquired in the last several months can only be described as – electrifying!

After months of hard work, students were able to showcase their new talents to members of the community, faculty, staff and school board members on February 28.

Under the careful guidance of Mrs. Kim Berkley, the students have learned the fundamental skills of wiring and electricity. The unit has included learning about series and parallel circuits; what items serve as conductors and insulators; and troubleshooting skills.

Now in the tenth year of presenting this program, Berkley said she continues to be impressed with how quickly the students have learned these skills and how enthusiastically they have implemented these new skills.

“The students also learned circuit symbols and how to read and create an electrical diagram and how to wire a light bulb,” Berkley added. “We also talked about how electricity comes into our homes.”

The final aspect of the unit has been to wire a small wooden house. These “houses” were built by Mr. Doug Horne Tech-Ed classes five years ago. Each house features four rooms and students were assigned a room to wire and decorate as they saw fit.

Berkley said the students not only mastered the work expected of them but were adept and thorough in their ability to explain and demonstrate the skills they have learned. They also learned how to “trouble-shoot” their circuits, identifying and correcting any issues they encountered.

Following the explanation and presentation of their respective circuits, students shared their knowledge with guests, leading them through a series of stations. Students then “taught” a lesson at the stations and invited guests to create their own circuits. Though many were nervous, the students did an outstanding job demonstrating their skills and “teaching” their guests.

“This culminating activity not only gives the students an opportunity to showcase their skills in circuitry, but it provides an added benefit of public speaking and collaboration skills,” Berkley added. “I am so proud of the job they did on their houses and how well they presented their work to our guests.”