The Virtual Classroom: Biology with a Twist

George School students are continuing their new virtual classroom educations with creative, at-home projects that are keeping them engaged and helping them learn. Science Department Head Polly Lodge gave her Biology and IB Biology SL classes an assignment to build a model of a DNA double helix.

This project came with a twist! Students had to use their creativity to find objects at home or in their dorm rooms to build their projects. Polly came up with this hands-on idea out of her concern for the students’ screen times with multiple online classes and projects.

“I wanted students to have the opportunity to show me what they knew. This would be an assessment different from a test or a quiz. So, I made available a few review opportunities: reading in the textbook and a video.” Polly continued, “I hoped students would be creative with what was available to them in their home, dorm room, apartment, or even in a hotel under quarantine! They surprised me with the different ideas and materials they used. It was inspiring.”

A few of Polly’s students shared their opinions on this assignment. Carley Rogers ’22 said, “My favorite part of the project was the flexibility and creativity that it allowed.”

While Annika Crawford ’22 said, “My favorite part was seeing how it all came together at the end.”

Angelina Wong ’22, much like Carley, said that she appreciated having the freedom to use whatever she wanted. She went on to say, “I also valued the resourcefulness of the project, which allowed us to use materials we already had in our homes.”

Check out some of their creative models in this video!