Do you remember playing in the back yard as a child and all of the wonderful creatures you found? Many of my students that live in the big city don't get the chance to play with a "roly poly" bug. They don't have the opportunity to explore the nature that is at their feet.
My students are a wonderful diverse group of kids that live in an urban setting in Indiana.
Our school is a small elementary school of about 240 students. Most of my students come from low income families. Our principal is frequently heard saying we offer a private school education in a public school building. Regardless of their circumstances, we offer the students the opportunity to succeed through "hands-on" learning and a lot of personal attention. As a result, we have a group of motivated, eager to learn, and intelligent kids.
My Project
Many of our students have come to believe that a scientist is a person in a lab coat that works in a laboratory. They don't necessarily view themselves as scientists(until they've spent a year in my classroom). I am constantly looking for new experiences that challenge their thinking. This project will allow students the opportunity to put the scientific method into action. They'll practice scientific inquiry. They will learn how to create a hypothesis, test variables, collect and record data, and draw conclusions. At the same time, they'll have fun observing isopods and learning about the history, habitat, and behavior of a fascinating organism. By participating in inquiry based activities like this project, they begin to realize that they are indeed young scientists.
My students will "bug out" when they find out that they have the chance to use science in a real life hands-on project.
They will be able to put all of the scientific processes they've read about into action. I guarantee that in the future, they will be inspired to embark on new investigations because of this experience and the skills they acquired completing this project.
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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. Williams and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.