Educator Uses Science Buddies with All Grade Levels at Bay Area Elementary School

Dedicated STEM teacher guides science exploration and science fair projects with students in grades one through five.

Cherene Fillingim-Selk teaches science at Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM), an elementary school in California. A California State Finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence for Math & Science Teaching, Cherene is a dedicated STEM teacher at BAM. She teaches science and engineering to all students in grades one to five.

"Hands-on STEM is so important in elementary school," says Cherene. "Students need to touch and play with things to fully understand what is happening. They need concrete experiences" to develop background knowledge they will continue to build upon in subsequent years.

The science fair is an annual, school-wide event. First- and second-grade students do class projects with Cherene. Third-grade students do group projects. (In 2024, they did the Rubber Band Car Engineering Challenge.) Fourth- and fifth-grade students do independent science projects, for which they also prepare written reports.

Cherene believes independent science projects are especially important in elementary school because they give students "control over what they want to know about."

She finds the Topic Selection Wizard to be an indispensable tool for helping students locate projects of interest. With help from the TSW, "students pick projects more methodically than haphazardly," says Cherene.

When asked about the connection between science fairs and students thinking about STEM career paths, Cherene cites the importance of exposure. The more science and engineering examples they see, the broader their understanding of what's possible. "The students see that they can do it. It's not just one type of person that can be a scientist. Students will say, 'Wait, that's science!?'"

Cherene says she has used Science Buddies for years as a source of educator and science fair resources, to help students find exciting projects, and for information to share with parents.

"I really rely on Science Buddies during our three-month science and engineering fair time. It is so thorough. The resources are deep and helpful."

Thank you to Cherene for sharing this story with Science Buddies. If you have a story about how Science Buddies makes a difference in your classroom or program, reach out to us at [email protected].