Science should be fun and science should be challenging. Science must be taught in such a way that students from a lifelong love of the subject matter, and, hopefully, pursue a career in the science field. I teach seventh-grade science at a STEAM middle school in a urban area. I have 177 diverse learners who are taught using a hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum.
My students are diverse.
Our school has many nationalities represented. My students are high achieving and from various different economic backgrounds. Our school is considered a school of need according to the number of students who qualify financially for free lunch programs.
Some students come to school hungry and are not truly concerned with what we have to teach them because they are overwhelmed by the thoughts of where their next meal may come from. Other students question if we actually have something to teach them that will truly make a difference in their lives. Still, others wonder if learning can truly be fun.
My Project
Sarah, one of my 7th graders, mentioned to me that another school had the FIRST LEGO League Jr. at their school and the students were able to use the LEGO Wedo 2.0 kit and the requested Kindle tablets to compete in challenges. That led the students to inquire about receiving this program, too. Students should always have access to new technology and experiences without worrying about finances or being at a high poverty school deciding whether or not the students can obtain the learning experience. The FIRST Robotics LEGO League is a national program that challenges students to build a robot and program them to accomplish missions like obstacles in the field. My teams will spend months meeting 5-10 hours a week designing and planning for this event.
They will learn team work, cooperation, design techniques, programming skills, documentation and communication.
They are judged on their robot performance, teamwork and research presentation. This year's topic is "Mission Moon" where students are challenged to find solutions to issues involving space and the ability to thrive in a new environment. My teams will put their heart and souls into getting ready. They need your generous donations so they can focus on the preparations for competition. They can't compete without the required LEGO WeDo 2.0 kits and the 10 Kindle Fires to program their robots to do the FIRST Lego League Jr. competition tasks. Your generous donation will inspire my students. They will excitedly look forward to each competition knowing you made it possible to attend. They will learn 21st century skills, help the environment, and have fun.
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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 Ms. Porter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.