Fayette School students explore a hidden world through science investigation

Curiosity and discovery were on full display as students at Harold D. Fayette School in the North Merrick School District took part in a hands-on science investigation on April 28.

 Using microscopes, students carefully prepared slides to bring the invisible into view. Sixth graders expressed their amazement as they discovered a fascinating world of intricate patterns and structures found in grains of sand, the skin of an onion, an elodea leaf and a human cheek cell. Students identified different characteristics of each, such as rectangular shape of the cell walls in plants and the cell membrane and nucleus found in the cell of an organism. They also observed how some are made up of many cells compared to unicellular samples including paramecium. The investigation provided students with a deeper understanding of how living things function at a microscopic level, while also introducing foundational scientific skills such as observation, inquiry and data recording. Students documented their findings through sketches and notes, with many students expressing amazement at the complexity of structures they had never seen before.