To Sea!: Pavement-Bound Students Seek Learning Adventure.
My students need to experience ocean science and potential careers firsthand through an innovative research vessel field trip with professional scientists and educators.
My inner city AP Environmental science students rarely get outdoors to see the natural world they study. Their perspectives for career choices are limited and they lack motivation to pursue difficult science and mathematics courses. This field trip could change through a scientific ocean adventure!
My students are seniors at a large inner-city public high school.
Seventy percent of them are low income, qualifying for the federal reduced and free lunch programs. Our school struggles to meet the academic goals of the No Child Left Behind Act, and scarce resources are focused on improving basic academic skills. Most of my students would be the first in their families to attend college. They lack a broad understanding of the possibilities for higher education and careers. Yet, they are hopeful, curious and enthusiastic about taking care of the planet. They have completed two years in a rigorous school-within-a-school academy program concentrating on science and math. This year, they have taken on an advanced placement course in Environmental Science. They have donated many hours over the past two years in environmental stewardship activities including shoreline clean-up, creek restoration and water quality monitoring at a local wetland.
My Project
The field trip I have requested will provide an inspiring and unforgettable experience for my students in AP Environmental Science. They will glimpse firsthand what is involved in scientific research at sea. On a tall ship cruise, they will help crew and scientists with navigation, operating the boat, and collecting scientific data. My students study the importance of the ocean as a natural resource and component of the Earth's climate system. This field trip will let them see beyond the ocean of facts and beneath the surface of a pretty seascape to understand the workings of marine ecosystems. They will help to raise and trim sails, and talk to captain, crew and scientists about their careers and how they prepared for them. With marine biologists they will survey populations of marine mammals and birds, and sample water chemistry and plankton. They will take away a deeper commitment to the environment and to themselves as future college students and citizens.
My students enjoy nature, but lack experience outside their pavement-bound neighborhoods.
They need exposure to all of the possibilities for future careers open to them. They need to connect these possibilities to real people who can be role models as they form their plans for college and work after high school. College preparatory courses can be a challenge for many students. This experience will inspire and motivate them to achieve in school and to connect that hard work to a career goal.
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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. N. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.