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
Every genetics book explains the different tests used by geneticists to test for paternity, disease detection, mutations, etc., in detail. The simulations for these aspects are available to teachers, for a price. Bringing science to life through hands-on activities is essential to any classroom.
I currently am the sophomore science instructor at a medical arts magnet high school in New Jersey.
Students attending the school receive a rigorous math and science concentrated curriculum. My students come from high poverty where many parents have not even graduated from high school. Science for my students can be difficult to understand at times. They love to complete activities or anything hands-on to aid in learning the material presented to them. However, our budget for the science department is slim to none with the current economy.
My Project
"Why is this topic important? What do geneticists actually use this test for?" These are just two of the many questions my students present me with each year because they only read about the lab experiments. Funds in my district are low and often my wish list of lab experiments is not purchased. Each of the activities I have chosen is a simplified form of the genetic testing done in laboratories all over the world, every day. My students benefit from these labs because they are able to see the steps of the process first hand as well as analyze their own results. Each student is given the opportunity to feel like a real geneticist in the classroom. Labs like the ones listed allow students to actually identify the paternity of a son or why each individual is different from another. These labs actually have my students performing the job of a geneticist. This type of exposure might allow one of my students to realize this is a field of science they would like to pursue in college.
For the past nine years as a secondary science teacher, I have striven to bring the scientific world to life in the classroom.
Genetics is a branch of science that is more detailed than others and often the textbooks are confusing. Hands-on experiments enhance the classroom's curriculum, but can only happen with the proper resources and equipment.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Mullin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
