Lynnfield teacher wins science award

LYNNFIELD – Cheryl Sanderson, a third grade teacher at the Summer Street School, was recently named the winner of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, most likely because her class of 23 students are learning about chemistry and engineering at the age of eight.Sanderson, who discovered she won the award at an all-school assembly in April, learned she could bring science to life in 2007 while she taught her students an Engineering is Elementary (EiE) lesson created by the National Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science in Boston.”I hated science as a child and I wanted to change that as a teacher,” she said. “When I involved my kids in engineering activities that apply their science knowledge to hands-on challenges they can relate to, I can bring science to life, whether we’re creating a musical instrument or designing a plant package.”Sanderson, 52, is one of four Massachusetts teachers and 30 others across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada to receive $5,000 for her school and $5,000 for her own use from Amgen, a California-based biotechnology company. She plans to use the school award to purchase more EiE units so each of the school’s students and teachers can experience the curriculum, which she uses as the real-world application of science kits developed by the National Science Resource Center.”I wish I’d had Engineering is Elementary as a kid,” Sanderson said. “My students love it. They see how excited I am and they get excited.”EiE integrates engineering with science, language arts, social studies and math via engaging storybooks about children from different countries and hands-on design activities. After reading about a child who uses engineering to solve a problem, students work in teams using their own science knowledge, problem-solving skills and creativity to solve a similar problem. Sanderson, who has taught and tested four EiE lessons for the museum, said the curriculum has made her a better teacher and she learns as much as the kids.”They discover it’s OK to fail and try again,” she said. “They apply what they’ve learned to the next design like real engineers. Kids with many abilities and learning styles actually have fun, while learning life skills.”