Shaker Heights School's first-grade students at Fernway Elementary School learned how natural water sources contain bacteria and bugs by viewing a pond sample through a microscope with parent Dr. Natalie Banet.

This experience supported their IB learning in Sharing the Planet, where they focused on the central idea: Water is a crucial resource. Also in this unit, students have learned about a well-digging mission in Haiti from a guest speaker, completed a series of experiments about water evaporation and freeze/thaw cycles, and have done a design challenge to build a carrying device to move water from a "river" to a "home." 

Students found the microscope experience with Dr. Banet to be interestingly gross! One student said, "This water is not potable. We'd have to boil it!"