Help me give my students a proper science experience. 8th grade chemistry is the first chance students have to use fire in labs, but I don't have enough Bunsen burners that are operational.
My science classes consist of 8th graders from a very rural area of central Pennsylvania. Many of these kids come from farming families or have parents who work in factories; many have no jobs at all. Although they are hard working people, our county ranks 66th on the list of 67 counties as far as income goes, and in fact, nearly half of our students get free or reduced lunches and some are homeless.
My students work hard and dream big.
This is my first year of teaching and I came in with such enthusiasm and high hopes, but my classroom is old and the equipment older. I do not have enough functioning pieces to make many labs available to my kids. I try to be creative, but 8th grade science should be amazingly fun and I can't simply go buy enough supplies for 118 students. These students deserve so much more than I can give them.
My Project
We are learning about chemical reactions, types of reactions, and how to balance chemical equations. Temperature change is a big part of this but we are currently unable to use the gas because I don't have enough properly functioning Bunsen burners.
Science should be a verb, something you DO, not something you read about in a textbook.
I am a new teacher and I am so excited to give my kids an amazing science experience but I can not do that without safe, proper equipment. Kids love hands on opportunities and really do learn and retain information much better when they experience it first hand.
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