I work with a great crowd of energetic, curious students in a high poverty school. My students are a very social and diverse group, including students from many different ethnic backgrounds, autistic students, gifted students, and more. They are curious, enthusiastic, and creative. They love to read, make, and create. As a school librarian, I have the best job in the school because I get to work with these students in all subject areas.
My students love hands-on learning.
They enjoy experimenting, building models, and sharing their ideas. They don't always have a chance to do this because of time constraints in school and a lack of access to supplies.
My Project
Our sixth grade science students study plants, and one of the most exciting standards we explore together requires students to "Explain how plants respond to external stimuli (including dormancy and forms of tropism), to enhance survival in an environment."
This project will provide students with take-home materials to cultivate special plants that grow and respond to stimuli quickly, making them the perfect plants for science lessons.
After a classroom introduction to plant tropisms (changes plants make in response to a stimulus, such as light), teachers will select student ambassadors from each class to work on an at-home enrichment project I will conduct through our library makerspace program. I will hold a meeting with students and parents to explain the project and distribute materials, then students will conduct their independent plant research at home.
Students will take home all the tools they need to grow Wisconsin Fast Plants and conduct an experiment. Each student will grow two plants: one under normal lighting circumstances and one inside a 3D maze constructed from a box to control the plant's access to light. Students will compare the ways the plants grow, giving them a first-hand chance to learn about phototropism. Students will take pictures of each plant daily, record notes, and work with me to create a presentation summarizing their research at the end of the project. They will then become teachers and share this information with their fellow students during science class. These student science ambassadors will not only experience hands-on science at home, but also have a positive impact on their classmates by sharing an in-depth look at an important science concept. With your help, we can keep learning growing at home!
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