A typical lesson in my classroom takes more than 1 day. Basic concepts are taught in two-day units: one day of content learning via lecture, class discussion, questions and reinforcement, and one day of lab to apply the new knowledge. More advanced concepts usually involve more lab time.
My students are some of the best and brightest at my high school.
Some of them are taking college level courses at age 14. These students are willing to tackle the homework load and lab level of an Advanced Placement class. My high school has no majority race — there are about equal amounts of white and Hispanic students with a few black and Haitian students. But my school faces some challenges as there are enough students on free/reduced lunches to feed a free breakfast (which is also served) to anyone who asks regardless of income.
My Project
I sometimes think mess is my middle name. My students do soil labs where I won't let the custodian tidy up for two weeks--the students clean up after each lab and then do a major clean-up at the end after we have finished working day after day with soils. The water pollution labs are coming up along with a stream erosion lab that involves teenagers, flowing water and simulated banks of sandy rivers. My students learn a lot of environmental science with all these labs, but they still have to go to the rest of their classes in the day. This grant will provide lab aprons to keep them dry and tidy so they aren't sitting in math class wet and muddy as a result of studying soil texture or water conservation in their science class.
Lab aprons will protect my students as they work in the science lab.
The equipment will see regular use and should last for years. The equipment will especially help students who are nicely dressed: JROTC cadets in uniform or student athletes who wear business attire at my school on game day. These students often hang back a little when they are nicely dressed and the lab is messy, so they don't get as much learning as the students in jeans and T-shirts.
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