Carl Sagan once said,"I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students."My goal is to see that enthusiasm for science accomplished with elementary students.
My students are in an inner city science, math and technology magnet school.
A large percentage are on free and reduced lunch, with a poverty level of 60%, and have limited resources from home. We started this program in our school two years ago to enrich and enhance the science opportunities for students in grades three though five. We meet with the students after school once a week and engage in hands-on science activities such as: building and testing bottle rockets, building electrical circuits, learning about the human body, studying fossils, rocks and minerals, building towers to learn about engineering, etc. In April, we have a multi county competition sponsored by the state's Science Olympiad where our students compete in the science events. Our students have excelled in the tournament in the past two years and we would like to continue to offer this exciting experience to them.
My Project
The resources that I am requesting will help with the various science activities for the students. We try to simulate a science lab with our experimentation so the goggles are necessary as a safety tool, but also helps give them a feeling of a "real scientist". The rock and mineral kit will give the students opportunities to touch and conduct streak,and hardness tests of the minerals. Studying fossils and the Geological time line of the earth will be made easier with the fossil specimen materials. The students will use the pH strips as they conduct experiments to test water and soil and learn about pH and environmental issues that are facing our local area (destruction of the wetlands, extensive paving of former grassy areas). The electricity materials requested give them opportunities to build series and parallel circuits, and electromagnets. All of these materials create opportunities for hands-on, problem-solving learning to prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
This donation will create excitement and a thirst for learning science in an elementary school.
Activities will be hands-on inquiry lessons that are related to all the science disciplines. This project gives students opportunities that are instrumental in preparing students for Twenty First Century skills. Through teamwork, communication and problem solving, students will collaborate and have fun with science!
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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 Mrs. Brampton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.