S.C. District Helps Students Explore the Final Frontier

By Peter West

CHARLESTON, S.C.--A miniature "rain forest'' is taking shape in a plastic enclosure wedged between the chalkboard and the sink in Ellen Vaughn's classroom here at Memminger Elementary School.

A class project undertaken by Ms. Vaughn's students, all of whom have learning disabilities, the mock rain forest is a textbook example of hands-on science instruction. Through it, the students grow their own plants as they study the intricate ecosystems that cover Earth's equatorial zones.

Last month, however, Ms. Vaughn was able to draw on a much more dramatic prop to illustrate the damage that is being done to some tropical...