Students are expected to just believe everything we tell them. The beauty of hands-on and interactive learning is that it brings science alive! In this day and age, seeing (feeling, testing, and even smelling) is believing!
My students are a diverse group of energetic 7th graders; however, they come with baggage that no child should have to deal with.
Most are on free or reduced lunch. School is the place where they come to experience stability and feel safe. With hands-on activities in science, it opens the door of opportunity and experience so they can be given the same school experience as everyone else.
My Project
My students need a mineral testing kit so they may test hardness, luster, cleavage, and streak in order to identify unlabeled minerals. As a new teacher, I do not yet possess all the bells and whistles that make science an unforgettable experience. With the testing kits, they will be able to test the observable properties of minerals and based on their data they collect, they will be able to infer and finally conclude which mineral is which. Instead of giving them the data that others collected, they will be able to host their own experiment and come up with a solution while working together. This project will also make a connection with my special education students where they can do the same testing as everyone else.
With these mineral testing kits, it will develop a connection between the data they collect and the conclusions that they write.
With collaboration and questioning their own student-led investigation, the students will forever remember this experience and apply those critical skills later in school.
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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. Swat and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.