It’s not every day that students get to channel a red blood cell. And that’s a good thing, because they’ve found it’s a pretty tricky job.

Science teacher Vicky Rhodes asked Mosaic students to describe a trip throughout the circulatory system from the point of view of a red blood cell. The trip had to start and end at the vena cava. The journey could be described as a written story, a comic strip or a picture book.

“Most of the students wrote stories, about 10 percent did comic strips and a few did dramatic presentations,” Mrs. Rhodes said. “The stories were written in a variety of styles – some giving a tour or using the trip through the heart as sort of a life’s journey for the blood cell.”

“I really thought the students did a great job with the personification of the blood cell,” she added. “Many were creative about their description of the heart. One student described the four chambers of the heart as a sort of dance club with four different areas.”

The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students were graded on accuracy, professionalism and timeliness. Any late papers lost 5 points per day, creating a motivation for punctuality.

Most of the assignments were in electronic form, and Mrs. Rhodes is trying to find a good way to share the projects. Many of the students are including this assignment in their portfolios.  

“The kids at our school light up at the word ‘project,’ “ the teacher shared. “This is a big reason many attend this school so they may use their interest in the arts to illustrate their work in other areas. The challenge is staying true to the factual nature of science while bringing the creative abilities of the students.”