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August 6, 2025

West Islip Students Dive Into ‘Under the Sea’ Learning

West Islip Students Dive Into ‘Under the Sea’ Learning

During the third week of the Summer Investigations program at Paul J. Bellew Elementary School in the West Islip Union Free School District, elementary students explored the theme “Under the Sea.” While in the library, students used nonfiction books and PebbleGo’s animal database on their Chromebooks to conduct research. They learned about two or three sea animals before choosing one to research more in-depth.
In the STEM lab, students learned about reefs, sea life, fossils and measurement. They took a virtual field trip to the reefs in Australia and learned about ocean ecosystems. Students made salt dough and created their own fossils and sea animals. 
Ms. Samantha from the West Islip Public Library visited the school and conducted a read aloud of “Lorenzo, The Pizza-Loving Lobster” by Claire Lordon. Students colored lobsters, complete with a pizza pie. 

 

A young girl wearing headphones writes at a desk with a laptop in a library setting.A teacher and two students smile in a classroom, holding a children's book.A teacher sits at a round table with three students, reading books together.Children work together in a classroom, mixing ingredients in a large bowl.Two young boys smile at the camera while sitting on the floor in a classroom.A young girl uses a stylus to interact with a touchscreen displaying the word 'pinch'.