Sylvia Branzei

At the Gulch School in Mendocino County, Sylvia Branzei teaches students about immunity, secretions and digestion by discussing burping, pooping, and puking.The approach, which she calls, "grossology," has lead to four books, all designed to ignite children's interest in science.

The students in Branzei's elementary and middle school science classes are riveted by microbiology, human physiology, chemistry and the digestive system.But don't tell them that.As far as they're concerned, the students are having a fun time making fake blood and watching it congeal, and discussing farts, burps and spit.

While cutting her toenails one day about nine years ago, Branzei, who has a B.A in science and a M.A in education, began wondering where the "gunk" under nails comes from.Branzei thought this might be the kind of science question kids would wonder about, too.So she began writing.Disenchanted by the failure of traditional textbooks and worksheets to engage children in science, Branzei was determined to make her approach distinct.Her goal: teach kids about science, not by spoon-feeding them definitions of molecules and microorganisms, but by revealing those definitions through real-world examples.She has since published four books on grossology.

In a lesson about flatulence, for example, her students learn about bacteria that live in our intestines.Without these resident bacteria facilitating digestion and providing us with vitamin K, we would not be able to live.When breaking down foods that contain sugar, such as beans or fruit, these bacteria produce gas.By starting with a "gross" topic like flatulence, Branzei was able to grab kids' attention enough to teach them about important scientific concepts like bacteria, digestion and symbiosis.

Though you might expect a grossology lesson to disintegrate into a disciplinary nightmare, Branzei says the opposite is true.In many schools, there are kids who like to sit in the back and burp because they think it's funny.But knowledge about the science of burping, she says, make those kinds of jokes less humorous to her students.More importantly, she says, using topics kids are interested in engages them, and makes them want to learn more science.

CONTACTS

Sylvia Branzei: TeacherWhale Gulch School76811 Usal RdWhitethorn, California 95589Phone: (707) 986-7131

Based on the introductory science books by Sylvia Branzei of Whale Gulch School in northern California it exploits a childs natural interest in the body.