Do you remember that worksheet about plant life and ecosystems you completed in fourth grade? Me neither! What I do remember about school is the projects that my teachers got me fired up about and involved in.
My students are very energetic.
The one way to capture their attention is by getting them involved. We live in a rural Appalachian community with limited resources and opportunities for experience. Though our county supplies us with the resources they can while diligently stretching each dollar to cover expenses such as transportation, school maintenance, technology, and operating costs, we still fall short on funding to implement projects.
My Project
After researching world population expansion and world hunger, my students will learn about alternate methods of sustainable farming that are designed to yield high crop volume in limited space. They will be learning about ecosystems and what plants and animals need to survive. They will develop an ecosystem in this aquaponics system and then maintain it. This will help them apply what they are learning and also set a meaningful purpose for their research. This will also provide them with opportunities to make scientific observations and reflect on their plant decisions and then adjust accordingly. They will be learning about water pH and what affects it. The best part about this system is that it can be reused for years to come!
This project will give my students the opportunity to become active participants in their education.
Though they will be guided, they will ultimately make decisions about what to plant and how to adjust the ecosystem according to needs.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Sisler and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
