Caring for Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches as Our Classroom Critters!
Help me give my students 16 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches to study their amazing structure and behaviors in STEM, and a heat lamp and bedding to keep them warm.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Kerr's classroom raised $288
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
"You teach 6th grade? Wow!" That is often what I hear when asked what I do. I work at an elementary school that has students from pre-Kindergarten to sixth grade. We are a Title I school that serves both breakfast and lunch and all of my students qualify for free or reduced meal plans. I teach 60 students science every day. Many of my students are English Language Learners. Every single day is an adventure. One of the truly nice things about my school is that it really is a neighborhood school. It is relatively small compared to other schools in the district, and most of the students that attend have many other family members here.
As sixth graders, they are learning skills that are getting them college and even career ready.
The students work hard from the moment we arrive until the bell rings and it is time to go home. The students thrive on hands-on learning in our STEM units and are fascinated by technology. My students are as capable as all other students in the nation. I just want to give them the same opportunities as everyone.
My Project
In our Diversity of Life Next Generation Science Classes, we study life. Life has existed on Earth for a very, very long time. My sixth graders are considering what it means to be a living organism. They are discovering the characteristics scientists use to define life. They will be looking at life starting at the cellular level, moving on to bacteria, fungi, plant reproduction and growth, and heredity and the variation of traits in offspring.
The part of this course that all the students look forward to is when we begin to study the structure, function, and behavior of insects; and, in this case, we learn all about the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
I already have the aquariums needed to house these insects, but this project will give me the insects to go into the aquarium, the heat lamps and the bedding to keep them warm when we are finished learning about them.
Students will be able to see how insects have evolved adaptations that allow them to survive and reproduce in just about any habitat on Earth. The first thing that my students will learn is how to handle the cockroaches so that they will not be harmed. They will humanely observe these insects and conduct investigations that help them learn about how the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches respond to various stimuli. All the investigations done on these cockroaches are done in a gentle way so that the cockroaches can become our class pets for the rest of the year. They can then be used again for the next year's class.
Nearly all 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. Kerr and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
