Recently, students in Grade 8 at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer had their first real life experience with cells. While exploring the science curriculum, they completed an experiment to determine the differences between plant and animals cells.
Looking at two different types of cells helped them identify the similarities and differences. Students were excited to notice that a plant cell has a cell wall and the animal cell does not. It then became more obvious why these cells function so differently.
“This really helped me see the differences between the plant and animal cell. It was so much easier to see instead of just looking at a textbook,” said Ryan Paquette, a Grade 8 student in teacher Jody O’Daiskey’s class. “I thought it was so interesting that I was able to use my phone to take a picture of the cells. This picture will now help me remember the difference between the plant and animals cells,” said Crystal Nadeau, a Grade 8 student at St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer.
The school has an open guest network that allows students to bring their own technological device to school, which directly aids in preparing them for the future. Student engagement is one of the highest priorities at the school. If students are interested, they will develop a love for life-long learning.