My students need 6 gallon jugs to prepare milk to make cheese. They need a cooler to store the milk and cheese as it undergoes the coagulation and fermentation process.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
How often do urban students have the opportunity to milk a cow? Students in my class have been inspired via our cheese making project to do so. As their teacher, I would love to give them the opportunity to do so by organizing a class trip to a nearby rural dairy farm. What an amazing experience!
My students attend a college prep charter school in the largest urban community in the state of Michigan.
Due to abysmal economic conditions within the state, drastic reductions in funding by the Michigan Department of Education have manifested as a result. Therefore, students are suffering substantially from the lack of funds available to provide an educational experience that promotes exposure to applications of science both within and outside the classroom. While teachers and students are dedicated to success, the financial burden on districts to fund enrichment field trips have been dismissed. The students at my school are fascinated with science and are eager to explore careers in the content. The United States is in need of students with this level of motivation to enter into careers that have the potential to conserve and change our environmental and societal practices. Neglecting to address such inspired students is a disservice to their future, and to that of the nation.
My Project
In class, we are exploring various aspects of science related to the dairy industry. Currently, students are engaged in a cheese making project and are in need of gallon jugs, a cooler, and funds to support a field trip to a dairy farm in a nearby rural community. At the farm, the inner city students at my school will be exposed to interaction with farm animals by milking a cow, feeding a calf a bottle, herding goats, and will witness the process of manufacturing and packaging ice cream.
My students have inspired me with their engagement, participation, inquiry, and dedication to this project to date.
It is not often that inner city students get the chance to make cheese in class, or interact with farm animals. To support their research efforts and motivation would surely be an experience that will stay with them forever. What a blessing that would be! We thank you for the opportunity to learn hands-on in class and on the farm!
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 Ms. M. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.