My students are ready to explore rocks and fossils! Instead of making them look at pictures, let's get them some hands-on opportunities!
My students attend a rural middle school in Pennsylvania.
They come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and have varying levels of life experience. Many of my students don't get the opportunity to visit museums, plays, zoos, and galleries. That's why it's so important for me to provide as many active experiences as I can.
My Project
8th grade science features a large Geology unit. My students will study rocks, minerals, fossils, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the layers of the Earth. The two items that I've requested in this grant will add a hands-on aspect to a topic that is sometimes taught solely with the use of books and videos.
The rock cycle activity kit will allow my students to see and touch different types of rocks (sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous) and better understand the processes that form each.
The fossil formation activity lab will provide a personal experience with organisms that lived millions of years ago. Students will study the difference between cast and mold fossils, and explore the various ways that organisms can become fossilized.
I use active projects as frequently as possible to motivate students and add levels of interest and comprehension.
It's important to be able to comprehend texts, but I feel that students learn better when they're able to touch and manipulate relevant objects during a lesson. The kits that I've requested will provide my students with meaningful and interesting materials that I can reuse in future years.
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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. McGee and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.