Abstract
Gordon, R. J.1, Masters, A. T.2 & Doing, M. G.2 1School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA; 2Lewis Libby Elementary School, 8 County Road, Milford, ME 04461 USAIn the University of Maine's National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellows in K‐12 Education program, 4th and 5th grade students at Lewis Libby Elementary School in Milford, Maine, were exposed to graduate‐level science during the 2000‐2001 academic year. This program brought cutting‐edge research into the elementary classrooms, enriching the science curricula for students and providing professional development for teachers. Algae were used as subjects to learn microscopy, cell structure, the process of fertilization, and how living things are classified. Students made independent discoveries of the chloroplasts and nuclei in several algal genera, as well as the eyespot in Euglena. These discoveries prompted the students to think about the diversity of life, what similarities and differences exist between species, and the kinds of adaptations organisms have acquired. In addition, algae were used to help students understand the natural history and marine resources of Maine. Algae are ideally suited for use in elementary classrooms because of the ease by which they can be observed and the broad number of concepts they can be used to illustrate.
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