My students need STEM activities to compete with 21st century skills. They need to build things from the ground up using cooperation in small groups and problem solve to end with a product that works
Successful learning starts with the students. My students learn from the beginning of the year about perseverance and what it looks like in the classroom. They have a zest for learning and very often I can see "the light bulb" go on for many of my students when they understand something. It is what drives me to work harder for them. They know that they shouldn't let the fact that they are inner city kids hold them back, but that it will only be a bigger force to drive them to work harder. I get them to understand that reaching out to the community partners around us is important in making connections and to get others' help. It really makes a difference to see them succeed after knowing they worked hard to get there!
My Project
Getting the Real World STEM Challenges small group kit will allow my students to problem solve and work together to end up with an object that really works and shows their innovative abilities. They can access the STEM Nonfiction book set and read on topics of how others have made things work and how people used different resources to get things to work. They can plan out their steps, test hypotheses, and draw conclusions in their STEM journals on science lessons learning about water & motion and they can even assign a project manager who can chart the group's progress on their dry erase board. All of this will be possible with the kit, nonfiction books and STEM journals when this project is funded!
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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. DeMello and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
