Moses Lake teacher wins $10,000 award

MOSES LAKE — North Elementary School kindergarten teacher Barbara Franz received an award in recognition of her science instruction.

Franz was one of four Washington teachers selected to receive the 2009 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence.

A trophy and big check for $10,000 was awarded to Franz at a surprise student assembly Friday.

Amgen Representative Carol Pawlak said $5,000 is awarded to Franz to spend however she wants, and $5,000 is awarded to the school to spend on science education.

“(The school) can use it to buy equipment, they can use it to buy … curriculum, they can use it for teacher development,” Pawlak said.

A school might even be able to use the money for a field trip, she said.

Applications for the award are considered by an out-of-state panel, who know nothing about the applicant’s name or location.

Franz happened to be the only teacher from Eastern Washington selected this year.

“I’m really pleased that someone from Eastern Washington received the award,” Pawlak said.

Pawlak said Franz asks her kindergarten students a set of three questions: “What do you know?” “What do you wonder?” and “What did you learn?”

“She uses big words, but prefaces them with small words, like, ‘When we look at something, we observe,’” Pawlak said.

The award included a letter of commendation from Congressman Doc Hastings, R-13th district.

Franz said being selected for the Amgen award is a “real honor.”

She spent significant time writing about her kindergarten class and their study of ants.

In her application, Franz provided a wish list for the school’s science program. Equipment desires included observation equipment like a video microscope and projector.

Franz said the grant benefits equipment and training.

“Those were the two things that I thought would best meet the learning needs of our student population,” Franz said.

When students can observe with more depth, the questions of “What do you see?” and “How do you know that?” can be asked of them, she said.