Science is about posing questions, observing the world around us, experimenting and experiencing. Science should not be reading comprehension. I want to make science come alive for my students and help them to understand that we can learn amazing science just about anywhere.
Our students are from a few small rural Utah towns.
They are good kids that know the value of hard work. A few struggle with learning and there are some that excel beyond the rest. Students live close to nature in our small town. The economy is primarily based in agriculture. We have a little over half of the students that live below the poverty line.
My Project
My primary goal with the backpacks is to get kids involved in taking a closer look at the world around them. In fourth grade, we learn about the plants, animals, rocks, minerals, habitats and weather of our state. I want to create a set of backpacks that the kids can take with them for a weekend to collect specimens of these things when they go camping, hunting or herding cattle. They can then bring them back to share their findings with the class.
The backpacks will contain the following:
-Baggies (for leaves or pine boughs, or unusual rocks, etc.)
-Plaster (Casting of animal foot prints)
-Specimen Jar (Collecting water from ponds or streams)
- Magnifying Glass
- Ruler
-Thermometer
-Notebook
Other tools may be added if we see a need. I have also requested a few other tools that will help in the classroom with identifying plants the students have found and for other hands-on experiments we would like to do.
This year I want to make science come alive for my students, not just in the classroom, but everywhere they go.
The processes used in science such as observation, classification, experimenting, and solving problems are life skills that can really make a difference in a child's life. Please help me help my students become better scientists.
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