This astronomy teacher
reaches for the stars
Program wins acclaim from Princeton, state
Department of Education
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Roosevelt School students Gus Vuole and Sierra Howley help teacher Ilene Levine display an experiment which shows students the different phases of the moon.
ROOSEVELT — Teacher Ilene Levine’s "Astronomy: Day and Night" program has been chosen by the state as one of a handful of elementary school science programs statewide to be designated as a Best Practice under the Stars Schools and Best Practices program..
Her Roosevelt School program was not only one of a select few programs honored by the state Department of Education, but Levine herself also won acclaim from Sigma Xi, the scientific research society at Princeton University.
Roosevelt School Principal and Superintendent Dr. Dale Weinbach said that Levine is a top-notch teacher who runs a remarkable program.
"This is just a fabulous program," said Weinbach. "It is very exciting for all of us that it is being honored."
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Roosevelt School teacher Ilene Levine stands by the telescope she often uses as an aid in her astronomy lessons throughout the year.
"When people think of ‘best practices’ in science, they are often going to go to the high school level, but the content and depth of knowledge in this program, especially for the elementary level, is quite impressive," she said.
Programs that the state designates as "best practices" are considered "models of innovative and effective programs that promote high student achievement," according to the letter the school received announcing the honor.
"Stories about positive outcomes built on high standards and observable evidence can contribute to a renewal of hope in our public schools, energizing efforts for all children," wrote state Commissioner of Education William Librera in the letter.
In order to win the designation, Roosevelt had to pass a rigorous application and examination process, including on-site visits by state officials.
Levine, who also won the Presidential Award for excellence in teaching mathematics and science in 1996, said that she has been honing the program over the course of 15 years through teaching it at Roosevelt and at Princeton, where she runs a professional development workshop for other teachers on science and astronomy.
"Most sciences, like chemistry, you can manipulate in a classroom. With something like geology or astronomy, it’s a little more complicated," said Levine. "You can’t touch the stars or the moon.
"Through this program, we try to make those things as relevant as we can, using hands-on and inquiry-based methods," she added.
In Levine’s classroom, her students learn about how craters form on the moon through a demonstration that uses flour and cocoa powder.
In other lessons, the students keep journals about the sky, noting the position of the moon or different constellations of stars in the sky.
"They really learn the sky. Then they go home at night, see the moon and how it moved, or recognize the constellations they learned in school, and it gives them confidence," she said.
Weinbach said she feels that the journals and other homework given through Levine’s program have a positive impact on the students because it gets parents involved in schoolwork.
"Logging the phases of the moon turns out to be something that the parents do with their children," she said. "We’ve seen tremendous parent involvement in this program."