Help me give my students engaging, hands-on science kits so that we can explore scientific problems while learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. I.'s classroom raised $392
This project is fully funded
My Students
My students are a diverse group, with a wide range of academic abilities. All of them, at one time or another, need some additional instruction, either individually, or in a small group. They benefit from modeling and experiencing real-world scenarios as often as possible. My middle school scientists benefit from project-based learning, as it requires collaboration, communication, critical thinking, repetition, problem-solving, and so more – with the additional benefit of making learning fun!
My students are kinesthetic and visual learners, who love nothing more than doing engaging, hands-on activities in our science classroom.
They have a variety of learning styles and needs, but they do have one thing in common, they love to learn, to explore, and together, we are helping them develop a growth mindset.
My Project
As schools move to a project-based learning framework, my students need more opportunities to work with hands-on problem solving, a skill essential for college and career readiness. The "Beaks of Finches" Lab kits will enable my young scientists to investigate and discover how Charles Darwin used beak variations in the numerous finch species found on the Galapagos Islands as evidence of natural selection. My students will work with different tools that will serve to model finch "beaks." The seeds provided represent finch food on a particular island. You will compete with other "finch" species to see which "beak" is best adapted for obtaining a specific food.
Lab kits and their associated activities benefit my students because traditional methods of teaching don't prepare students for life beyond school.
In addition to the Beaks of Finches kits, I am requesting some replacement materials for our existing "Pathogens, Antibodies, and Vaccines" Science Take-Out kits; the children will model how vaccines protect against bacterial diseases. Offering hands-on activities in the classroom can benefit all types of learners by providing opportunities for all students to hone their problem-solving skills.
More than a third 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
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