Many of my students have never been to the ocean so when we are exploring the marine ecosystem, some of them only have pictures in books to reference.
My students are a diverse population of middle school kids.
My school enrolls students from EVERY Zip code in my district, making us the most diverse school in our school system. They have so much to share with each other and are uniquely tolerant of cultures and traditions of their classmates.
My Project
The salt water aquarium on my wish list is going to provide a beautiful, living visual for my students to appreciate. I have been able to assemble a fresh water tank in the past but budget constraints make it impossible to maintain without sacrificing basics (like markers!). The students in my Science class spend half of the year learning about Life Science - particularly ecosystems. This marine ecosystem will be the subject of many discussions, discoveries, observations - both living and non-living factors, and so much more interesting....and REAL...than any pictures I can show them. If you want kids to understand Symbiosis, let them see a clown fish living in a sea anemone! They will remember that for the rest of their lives.
This project will allow students to have first hand experience with a marine ecosystem.
This type of classroom habitat is rare due to the expense. Students who may never get to see an ocean can develop an understanding and an appreciation of our world's oceans and the organisms that call it home. This gift would mean so much to so many! I teach about 120 middle school students per day....how many will be inspired by this? I cannot even imagine!
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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. Titus and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.