My students need hands-on experience with live insects to enhance their knowledge when they read such books as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug.
$225 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! 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.
"Bugs are yucky!" Young children are warned to be afraid of them, making it preferable to kill something they fear than to observe to understand. Life cycles apply to all living things and are interconnected. Insects in children's literature are a gateway to understanding ourselves.
We are an inclusion early learning center in a public school setting with over 400 children 3-5 years of age.
Over 70% are eligible for free or reduced lunches, and almost all are of non-Caucasian heritage. Additionally, approximately 200 of these students have special needs. My class has 26 students who attend in 2 different groups, aged 4-5 years. These students will be attending kindergarten in the upcoming school-year.
Approximately half of my class is learning English, which will be the spoken language in their kindergarten year. These students need all the language experience possible in the most variety of modalities possible. Tremendous growth is possible for this group of children which makes a lifelong difference in their abilities by starting kindergarten ready to succeed. Our school district totally supports early childhood education in order to ensure that our children graduate from high school, go on to higher education, and have successful lives.
My Project
I have a butterfly pavilion, magnifying glasses, a terrarium, and an ant farm. These are usable for butterflies and other flying insects such as ladybugs and ants. Inspecting insects along with reading children's literature is the objective. The students will be able to perform dramatic play through the use of puppets which I already have. They will also be exposed to music and movement related to these themes. Additionally, the students will complete projects which demonstrate the knowledge they have gained. These materials will be used to stimulate children's development in the subject areas of reading, math, science, and social-emotional development. We will begin our discussions by focusing on eggs. Next we will focus on ladybugs: The Grouchy Ladybug and rhymes, puppets, patterning, spot counting. Next we will focus on ants: Two Bad Ants, 100 Hungry Ants, The Ants Go Marching, making ant tracks, making ant models, comparing ant/people jobs, using tunnels. .
This project is important because children often need to learn to "do no harm." This is a rare opportunity to learn about ourselves and our world from tiny helpless insects.
It is possible to learn about all subject areas through a few little bugs. The students' natural curiosity is the key. The students will discover where their individual interests lie and may "hear" their life's calling. The very young begin early to find confidence in inquiry. Their knowledge protects the environment.
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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. Kurick and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
