The labs allow the students to take the abstract concepts they learn in the classroom and apply them in concrete experiences to explore real-world problems. The labs also are practical. Having one room for all the school's 480 students to work on a specific project cuts down setup and cleanup time in the regular classrooms and saves money on materials. Dillard plans with the classroom teachers to implement lessons with thematic units that meet the state and school district curriculum guidelines. The lab has a kitchen, three computers, a wall-mounted monitor, disc player, VCR, terrarium, human body and skeleton scale models, rock collections, animal specimens, microscopes and telescopes.
Students work in groups, sitting in squares, four to a table.
One recent day, with flute and harp music in the background, Dillard asked the students to draw their interpretation of an ocean floor. They used reference books to help. Fifth-graders Brandon Anthony, Ryean Barker, Corey Lane and Jamarrious Waldon like this stuff. They drew a dolphin, squid, eel, shark and jellyfish. Dillard, in her 28th year teaching, smiles when she hears those comments.