Updates/News
Bringing Water to the Classroom
- November 28, 2017
- Posted by: Isabel Lake
- Category: Partnerships STEM Education TKY Inspiration and Stories TKY Teacher Bios
Fourth year teacher Kayleigh Caskey graduated from Hope College and now teaches chemistry at North Oldham High School. She is one of two inaugural Fellows in a pilot fellowship program between Teach Kentucky and the Louisville Water Company.
As a science teacher, it is my job to bring science to life for my students. Oftentimes in chemistry, students ask, “Why does this matter?” or “When will I ever need to know this?” The Louisville Water Company (LWC) has helped bring that to life for my students.
During LWC educator Larry Moore’s first visit to my classroom he talked about the WHY behind the water company. Why do we need a water company? What does the water company do? The students LOVED this. They were talking about outhouses and how septic systems used to leak into wells. My students whose families use wells asked questions about if their water is safe. This was followed up with interactive LWC trivia that wowed the students. Did you know that the Louisville Water Company pumps approximately 115 gallons of water every single day? After hearing from him, my students now do!
If septic waste wasn’t enough to convince my students that they needed a water company, the students then got to look at water samples themselves. There were three different samples, and the students were asked to write down observations and differences between the samples. When we came back together Larry asked them what they thought about the water. The students identified that the samples included one straight out of the Ohio River, one after the first filtration, and one tap water sample. Since we were discussing filtration in class for the past few days, this activity was able to bring this content to life. The students are looking forward to their next LWC visit!
Honestly, this is how real teaching is done! Make the subject relevant to the kids. I love that the kids got interested in how it related to them. That is what makes the lesson memorable.