Exploring Botany & Anatomy through Microscopes & Dissections
My students need a sheep's heart, microscope slides, visuals, materials, and dissection equipment to increase laboratory opportunities in the areas of Botany and Anatomy.
Imagine a middle school Biology classroom that is so creative, interactive, and exciting that kids moan when class is over, "Ah man, class is over already? I wish we had science all day long!" In our class we learn by doing, through topics that are engaging and relevant to our everyday existence.
Our middle schoolers are uniquely spirited, curious, creative, energetic, and eager to explore the biological sciences.
They look forward to laboratory explorations and experiments and often share their excitement from class with their families at home. Engaging students through a design thinking lens, our students are encouraged to think out of the box and problem solve through innovation and imagination.
Our school is a Title 1 School with 80% of our students receiving free and reduced lunch. We are 65% Latino, 15% African American, 10% Multi-race, and 10% White, Asian, and other.
My Project
Only 2 and a half years old, we are still a relatively new middle school. Building a hands on 7th grade science curriculum requires additional equipment and consumables not needed in other courses, and we need your help. The materials requested through this grant will help increase exciting learning opportunities for our students in both our Botany and Human Anatomy units.
The structure, growth, and reproduction of plants will be brought alive through an in-depth microscopic exploration of plants and a plant dissection. Human anatomy will be made extremely memorable through 2 separate dissections. We will dissect a sheep heart to help master the structure and function of the circulatory system, and a bullfrog dissection will help students recognize and diagram human internal organs. We will also study and diagnose common human diseases at the cellular level through an investigation of prepared human slides for use with our microscopes.
Providing rigorous and relevant learning opportunities is essential for students to imagine themselves pursuing a higher education and career in the sciences.
When students are encouraged to use microscopes and surgical equipment, and they experience success in these endeavors, they begin to see themselves as doctors, surgeons, veterinarians, dentists, and nurses. It is my hope for each student to see themselves as scientists today, and see this as an achievable career goal for the future.
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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. S and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.