Virtual High School students get hands-on science time!

George Bens teaches science classes in the Virtual High School in Cincinnati for students studying Biology, Physical Science or Earth Science. He presented several lessons from the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program workshop to students.

“It’s a Gas” encouraged students to make and record observations and to draw conclusions from what they saw. Bens said, “The conclusions in two classes sparked some lively conversations about how to further support differing conclusions.”

In “Sweet Explorations”, Bens’ goal was to demonstrate how models could be constructed through remote observations. Students drilled into Twinkies with straws and used their date to produce a scale cross-section of the Twinkie. The students also suggested other foods to drill into. “Big Macs were the most recommended,” Bens noted.

“Pipeline Pigging” challenged students to design and build a scale device to clear a section of pipe. One model and two scale plans were completed, and the students who finished the model anticipated the need for the device to make turns in a pipeline.

Bens experienced some difficulty due to a schedule change that shortened instructional time, but said the OOGEEP lessons are “highly adaptable and well-organized to implement.”