Aquaponics at Home! Raising Betas and Herbs Sustainably!
Help me give my students the opportunity to make learning come alive at home!
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Tom's classroom raised $1,827
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Do you know what it's like to enter a new country and school without speaking the language?
Many of my students are new to the United States with limited English acquisition.
These students are called SLIFEs (students with limited or interrupted formal education) and often are very nervous about being in a new country. School is overwhelming however, my students are very dedicated to their studies and strive to do the best they can with limited English. These students will go to tutors, ask for help, as well as seek extra help (on their own time) through paraprofessionals in the building who assist with their work. These dedicated students can also have jobs outside of school (up to 40-50 hours a week!) and work to support their families while attending classes during the day.
My Project
As we continue on this endeavor of learning both in-person and remotely, I wanted to provide my students with the opportunity to make learning literally "come alive" at home. The students at home are struggling to maintain engagement as well as interact and connect with our live ecosystems in the classroom. I want to close the learning gap between the students learning remotely and in the classroom as well as have the remote students become more active learners by watching Science happen at home.
This project will follow up the aquaponic and river tank ecosystem tanks we have in the classroom; and will help students at home experience the same lessons and connections with the live organisms as we have in the classroom.
In addition, many of my students come from low-income families, so if we're able to help support them by providing sustainable aquaponics tanks to raise culturally friendly herbs to use it will bring joy not only to the students but to their families as well.
Aside from making learning come alive at home, this will also teach the students at home the responsibility to take care of another living organism. When students take care of animals who don't have a voice, it teaches them responsibility, compassion, and empathy. These are skills that we focus on through SEL (social-emotional learning) which is a major focal point during current times.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Tom and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
