In the age of budget cuts and urban schools, our kids have been unfortunate losing out on many of the opportunities that we adults had during our time in high school. In our Living Environment course, we have a lab portion, however, our students don't really do anything too "labby" nowadays.
My students are ninth graders from a high school in New York City.
We are one of the few larger public high schools still functioning. Most of our students are coming from poorer school districts here. I try to give them memorable learning experiences in the science classroom and lab in order to keep their attendance up as well as turning them away from the idea that science is boring and impossible for them to master and enjoy.
My Project
I would like to provide my students with an opportunity to dissect frogs. Last year, the dissection lab was cut due to budget constraints. The most common question asked by students during our lab meetings is, "When are we going to dissect something?"
There is something about dissecting an animal that has kids intrigued. I am all for it because I am able to incorporate many parts of the curriculum into this lab exercise.
Luckily last school year, I was able to convince the lab tech to order frogs for my class. We were the only classes in school to get that opportunity, and THE KIDS LOVED IT.
I would like to order the 5+ inch frogs that are in a safe non-toxic preservative. With these larger frogs, there is a greater chance that their stomachs will be full of beetles and other insects allowing me to incorporate ecology as well as anatomy into the lab.
I firmly believe that our students learn by doing.
To have this dissection experience will give our kids an that they will forever have to look back on. These kids have seen so many programs cut and so many activities put on hold because of cuts. I believe that if you invest in learning experiences for kids it will pay back dividends in their future.
My students from last year's class mentioned to their younger classmates that we dissected frogs. I would like to continue the 'tradition.'
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