Sixth through Eighth Graders Explore Science of DNA
The Science and Engineering Camp at St. Pat's offers grammar school students the opportunity to get an early look at high school science.
July 13, 2010
For a dozen Chicago-area grammar school students, the recent Science and Engineering Camp at Saint Patrick High School offered a glimpse into genetics they wouldn’t otherwise have the fun of exploring until high school.
“I like the idea that life is bigger than what we are seeing,” said a sixth-grade camper from the Edison Regional Gifted Center. “I’d like to figure out how it all happens.”
Science teachers Raeghan Graessle and Colleen Mikolajczak led the sixth through eighth graders through two weeks of learning about chromosomes, mitosis and meiosis all in preparation for the youth to extract their own DNA as part of a forensics lab.
“We present them with the real science behind DNA, topics they’ve never thought of before,” said Mikolocak who also noted that while the content is advanced, with the right approach, students can grasp the concepts explored. “It’s nice to drive into detail they wouldn’t normally cover until they reach a high school curriculum.”
By introducing the students to high school science, the camp also provided an early opportunity for students to build skills for the ACT, ISAT and other testing programs. Camp size was limited to maintain a small teacher to student ratio.
Dates for the 2011 summer Science and Engineering Camp will be posted on stpatrick.org in the spring of 2011.