At my school, students acquire knowledge in a community setting. These learners collaborate on multi-age group projects at tables and engage in a variety of reading/math activities on the rug. Desks are for storage or solo assignments. Learning plans in this school are unique to each student and often take them outside the classroom.
This "little school house in the big woods" provides the perfect setting for place-based learning.
The students are learning about their place in the world, which helps them apply academic studies to their personal lives. This provides for much more student engagement throughout the day. These young scholars love to learn!
My Project
As part of a "place-based" learning program, the students spent the last month of summer and all of autumn observing the school's wonderful outdoor environment. They are continuing this observation through the winter and spring. Recently, they joined the iNaturalist world. They learned that there are people all over the globe willing to help them identify species of animals and plants that live on or near school grounds if they upload clear, concise photographs. With proper identification of plant and animal species come graphs that map changes in the neighborhood over time. They are also in the process of joining a bird watching citizen science group that will provide them with population graphs according to the data they submit.
They need better equipment to observe and photograph birds and other shy animals from afar.
The spotting scopes and binoculars will allow them to view animals from varying distances. I also chose different size binoculars to fit the eyes and hands of all the students. They need lens adapters to take close-up photos of the smaller plants and animals they wish to identify. They need tripods to hold the iPads steady while taking pictures. The tripods will come in handy for their stop motion videos, too! These students will appreciate every item as they work with the new tools to enrich their learning.
Emarth 20-60x60AE Waterproof Angled Spotting Scope with Tripod, 45-Degree Angled Eyepiece, Optics Zoom 39-19m/1000m for Target Shooting Bird Watching Hunting Wildlife Scenery
• Amazon Business
$54.99
2
$109.98
ZWARTpro Phone Camera Lens - 2 in 1 HD Cell Phone Lens Kit with 0.45X Wide Angle and 15X Macro Lens for iPhone, Samsung, HTC, Nexus, iPad and Most Smartphones and Tablets + Protective Case
• Amazon Business
$22.47
4
$89.88
Tripod for iPad, PEYOU 42" Inch Portable Lightweight Adjustable Aluminum Camera Tablet Tripod + Universal Mount Tablet Holder + Bluetooth Wireless Remote Shutter for iPad Samsung Kindle Fire Tablets
• Amazon Business
$21.99
4
$87.96
10X 50 Binoculars Smartphone Adapter Kit for Adults and Kids -for Bird Watching Travelling Landscape Stargazing Hunting Concert Sports Outdoor Games- BAK-4 Prism/MultiCoated Lens/Large Eyepiece Design
• Amazon Business
$39.99
2
$79.98
Kids Binoculars, Cobiz 10x25 Outdoor Binoculars for Kids, Folding Spotting Telescope For Bird Watching, Camping and Hunting ,Best Christmas Gift For Boys,Girls (white)
• Amazon Business
$23.99
2
$47.98
Materials cost
$415.78
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$38.04
3rd party payment processing fee
$6.24
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$490.06
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$86.48
Total project goal
$576.54
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$576.54
6 Donors
-$288.27
Donations toward project cost
-$245.03
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$43.24
match offer
-$288.27
Match offer toward project cost
-$245.03
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. Neu and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
