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
My 5th grade students come to science class with loads of questions, many that often exceed our standards and time frame. Instead of silencing their curiosity, I would like to start a lunch time STEM club that would provide them the time and materials to collaboratively explore their questions.
My students come from homes where books are not readily available and what they know about the world comes from the television or Internet.
Our school is a safe place for them and a place they know they are loved and are important. It is also a place for them to voice their questions and gain the information they are so hungry for. As a whole, the students at my school are incredibly curious about science and technology, but have very little background knowledge that supports new ideas in the area of STEM learning.
My Project
My students need STEM learning lab materials and nonfiction books. With the use of these materials, I would facilitate a STEM club during my lunch 2-3 days a week, 45 minutes a day. We would explore a "problem" using a book, classroom learning, or real life situation, then in small groups the students would use the STEM design process and the learning lab materials to solve the problem. Students would be applying science, math, and reading knowledge while working collaboratively as a team to solve a problem that they can relate to their school work and real life.
By allowing students to be a part of a club, they would be learning to work with others while applying the concepts they've learned in class.
Also, this would give students opportunities to explore the area of STEM and show them that science and math can be applied to everyday situations. I hope that allowing students this opportunity will also give them the confidence they need to enroll in STEM and more advanced courses later in their educational career.
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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. Hensley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
