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
Doing dissection with elementary students is a challenge. Working through the understanding of the systems is a fascinating topic for students to investigate in enrichment; where I can extend their scientific studies from the regular classroom. Real dissection will give students hand-on experience
Our school is an intermediate school in Alabama.
There are approximately 300 students who attend this school. Enrichment is a pull-out program for students who go through a selection process to receive enrichment services. This is a program that meets the state's requirements for serving our gifted population. I serve approximately 70 students; 3rd graders, 4th graders and 5th graders. Because there is not a curriculum for enrichment, projects are based on student's interest which is taken from an interest inventory given at the beginning of the year. 'The Body' and Science Experiments were at the top of the list. These students are the leaders of tomorrow; they are intelligent, witty, creative, motivated and seek to understand, "why". We are fortunate at our school to provide opportunities beyond the regular, rigorous curriculum that will inspire such students to reach for higher career choices in their future.
My Project
With the dissection materials that I am seeking, I will be able to put a scalpel in a student's hand and give them hands-on-experience with dissection of a frog. They will be able to locate the internal organs and investigate the similarities frogs have with humans. In 4th grade, I will use the grasshoppers to investigate the unusual heart that grasshoppers have. In 3rd grade students will study the circulatory system and will end their unit of study investigating the sheep heart to compare what they have learned about the human heart with what they will be able to touch and see with the sheep heart. These experiences will never be forgotten by these students. I want to instill in my students not only an understanding of the organisms, but also a respect for these creatures.
The future of our country will depend on what our students know and understand as they move through our school systems and into our colleges and later into their careers.
Through research we have heard that careers associated with STEM will be necessary for the future of our country. What better way for us to prepare our future leaders of tomorrow, then by exposing them to the wonders of the body and the magnificence of the living organisms around us.
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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. Shaw and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.