My students need closed circuit boards to extend and apply their scientific knowledge. Having multiple circuit kits allow more students to be actively engaged.
Test, test, test! That seems to be the mantra facing classrooms today. My 4th & 5th graders are still kids and love to think of a question and discover the answer alongside their peers. We need opportunities for students to explore their ideas in a safe place that allows them to have fun & learn.
I am lucky enough to be a multi-year teacher which means I have my kids for both 4th and 5th grade.
We develop a strong sense of family in the classroom. We celebrate and comfort one another as healthy families often do. Coming from Alaska, my student's experience base is very broad. From living in villages without a stoplight and never having traveled outside of our community to military families that are relocated every couple of years. Our diverse background knowledge makes the need for a strong sense of classroom community. We all learn from each other. Cooperative groups are the preferred learning style so individual students desks are gone and team tasks take their place. I love knowing that they understand the importance of cooperative learning and take steps to make sure each person has a voice in their task. In other words, they are amazing!
My Project
We would love to explore closed circuit systems as we learn about electricity and energy. The Snap Circuit kits include resources for 750 experiments, storage cases and opportunities for kit expansions. Providing each table with a kit allows a small group the opportunity to develop a hypothesis and then explore the possible outcomes. This hands on approach has been shown to increase student retention as well as encourage "outside of the box" thinkers. As our world is focusing more and more on science, technology and engineering, I want my students to have experience in these fields. The best educational practices involve students actively participating in their education which is not always easy in a paper and pencil system. School districts do a good job of providing basic educational materials however when I look in the eyes of my kids, I believe they deserve so much more than basic materials. If I expect my kids to change the world, I need to start by changing their classroom
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" is my favorite quote by Albert Einstein.
This statement sums up how my 4th & 5th graders learn best. The more opportunities they have to explore, discuss, and experiment, the happier they are!
In a data driven educational system, formal quantitative assessments are the desired outcomes for many standards unfortunately, this doesn't always allow for fun in the classroom. Please help me give my students another way to demonstrate their learning.
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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. Riggan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.