My students need rocks and fossils to observe and study, photo books that bring Earth science to life, and games and centers for remediation, review, and enrichment.
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
Geologist John McPhee said, “Rocks are records of events that took place at the time they formed. They are books. They have a different vocabulary, a different alphabet, but you learn how to read them.” My students need to “read” and learn about all of Earth’s materials, features, and changes.
My students are the proverbial sponges thirsting for knowledge.
They are inquisitive, imaginative, creative, and funny. Some think “outside the box” while others need every detail “tied up neatly with a bow.” My boys and girls reach understanding at different speeds and in their own time. They learn and remember things by experiencing rather than just hearing. My boys and girls love coming to school, and for many of them it is because school is the one place they get two square meals and love and attention from their teacher.
My students attend a Title One school that has 65% of students receiving free/reduced lunch. We have students who sleep on mats at home, on couches at a workplace, and some who don't have electricity or water where they live because the bills can’t be paid. We give food, coats, and clothes to some of our families on a daily and weekly basis. When in school, my children are able to partially quench their thirst for knowledge that is largely ignored at home.
My Project
My students love Earth science-rocks, minerals, fossils, land/water features, Earth’s layers and changes–all of it! Using the sets of rocks and fossils, my geologists-in-training can compare and contrast them. They will immediately SEE the differences between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks as well as cast, mold, and preserved part fossils. They can TOUCH the layers in sedimentary rocks and FEEL the glassy or grainy igneous rocks. The rock cycle will finally make sense to them when they describe how heat and pressure turns limestone into marble as they OBSERVE those sedimentary and metamorphic rocks side-by-side. The photo books will allow my future geologists to CLASSIFY the rocks by LOOKING at the photos and the actual rocks at the same time. The game and learning center will provide my students with reinforcement, learning, reviewing, and enrichment opportunities both during the unit and as we prepare for the end-of-the-year state test. The possibilities are endless!
Donating to our project allows future geologists to enjoy hands-on experiences as they classify REAL rocks and fossils.
They’ll see authentic photos of Earth’s features using the book set and can take charge of their learning by playing the game and using the learning center. You will foster a love of Earth for an infinite number of students. You never know, one of my students may be the geologist who discovers an asteroid proving invaluable in bettering our environment-due to your generosity.
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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. Boykin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
