Do you remember how it felt to sit in a science class and listen to the teacher lecture, read from the text book, and then answer the questions at the end of the chapter? I want my students to experience science through hands-on experiments, projects, and real life applications.
The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher (Elbert Hubbard).
This quote reflects my goal as a teacher - to create independent learners. Each morning I am eagerly greeted by an amazing and diverse group of students who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Many of my students are struggling to cope with the multifaceted dilemmas of living in poverty. In spite of their obstacles, the one thing that I see in all of their eyes is an eagerness to learn. They hang on every word I say, and even beg to stay after school to do more work. My goal is to provide them with educational experiences that will sustain and promote this sense of curiosity and desire for life-long learning.
My Project
Food chains and life cycles are one of the most important science topics covered in my third grade curriculum and is also one of the most high-interest. The implementation of an owl pellet dissection lab will offer students a concrete way to understand how energy, in the form of food, is passed through the food chain. The activities will enable hands-on experiences for the students to be able to better understand the energy cycle because they will be able to explore, touch and discuss the content. The owl pellets are a hands-on experience which demonstrates high level concepts in a way primary students are able to understand. The educational experience of raising butterflies is a project that employs multiple scientific research skills. The students will learn about the life cycle of the butterfly as they watch the transformation day by day from the egg state all the way through the metamorphosis to a butterfly. We will also plant butterfly friendly flowers/plants outside our classroom.
This will be my first experience hatching butterflies in a butterfly pavilion, and I am extremely excited to learn with my students.
Dissecting owl pellets allows my students to move beyond the textbooks into the realm of hands-on science discovery. Every year, former students return to my classroom and ask, "Do you remember when we dissected owl pellets?" It is a learning experience that lasts a lifetime.
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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. Albro and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.