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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Crowell from Castle Rock, WA is requesting lab equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Mrs. Crowell's classroom raised $431

Cracking the Code: 8th Grade Genetics in Action

Help me give my students the chance to think like geneticists—using DNA modeling kits, heredity games, and engaging investigations to uncover how life’s blueprints are passed from one generation to the next.

This project is fully funded

Classroom photo
Mrs. Crowell profile photo
Mrs. Crowell Castle Rock Middle School
Castle Rock, WA Grades 6-8

My Project

My 8th graders are curious, creative, and full of questions about how the world works — especially when they can explore it with their own hands. We’re a small Title I middle school where resources are limited, but my students’ excitement for science is unlimited. They light up when they can build, test, and discover instead of just reading about it.

Each year, I look for ways to make science real and relevant for them.

Whether we’re testing water samples, shaking out earthquakes, or polishing rocks, my goal is to help them see themselves as scientists who can ask big questions and find real answers.

⸻

My Project

This project will help my students crack the genetic code through hands-on DNA models, interactive heredity games, and probability activities that make abstract ideas tangible.

Using model kits and engaging simulations, students will explore how DNA determines traits, how genes are passed from parents to offspring, and why variation makes life so diverse. Instead of memorizing vocabulary, they’ll be building base pairs, predicting traits, and running mini “genetic labs” that make learning stick.

These materials will bring our Albino Squirrels genetics unit to life — connecting classroom science to real-world examples of inheritance and diversity in nature. My students will see that science isn’t something that happens in a textbook — it’s something they do with their own hands and minds.

With your support, we can give every student the chance to experience the wonder of genetics and see that they have the power to explore, question, and discover.

Equity Focus

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More than half of students from low‑income households

150 students impacted 2 donors
Mrs. Crowell Castle Rock Middle School Grades 6-8

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Castle Rock, WA View local requests

More than half of 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

150 students impacted 2donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Chromosome Connections Kit • Nasco $65.45 1 $65.45
Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game Premium Bundle • Carolina Biological Supply Company $63.89 1 $63.89
Genotype: Mensa Award Winning Genetics Board Game about Mendel's Pea Plants • Amazon Business $58.79 1 $58.79
Middle School Science: Key Concepts, Practice, and Quizzes Workbook (Grades 6-8) • Amazon Business $42.85 1 $42.85
Science Learning Center - Study of Heredity • Nasco $30.56 1 $30.56
Virulence: An Infectious Virus Card Game - Educational Bidding Game for Kids 8+ - Perfect Biology Board Game for Kids, Teens, and Adults - Medical Science Gifts for Nurses, Doctors, Teachers • Amazon Business $25.47 1 $25.47
Genius Games Nerd Words: Science! | Group Games for Adults | Party Games for Families, Kids, Teens, Classrooms • Amazon Business $9.99 1 $9.99

Materials cost

$297.00

Vendor shipping charges

 $8.31

Sales tax

 $25.99

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.46

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$365.76

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$64.55

Total project goal

$430.31

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $430.31

1 Donor

-$215.16

Donations toward project cost

-$182.89

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$32.27

match offer

-$215.14

Match offer toward project cost

-$182.87

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$32.27

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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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 Mrs. Crowell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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