"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I'll remember; involve me and I'll understand." The experience to see the miracle of life doesn't come often. Telling my students about it and showing them pictures doesn't mean they will remember it; if they could experience it, then it will last forever.
Our demographics are changing and more of our children live in apartments.
They do not have opportunities of being raised on farms or raising a pet. In recent years, budgets have been cut and resources are low. With the decline in support for our schools, children are no longer coming to school with prior life experiences, which is creating a gap in students' learning.
I will never forget my own experience with hatching and raising chickens in fifth grade. As a new teacher to the second grade of a primary PreK-2 school, I would like to give my students the same memories. By using an incubator, I can provide a hands-on learning experience that will expand my students' knowledge of animals' life cycles as well as their prior knowledge.
My Project
Being a veteran teacher with 20 years experience, I set out to bring the excitement of learning into my classroom. Creating a life long learning experience in my class will greatly support the excitement for learning that is missing in our test driven classrooms. My students are missing out on the wonderful experience of seeing the animal life cycle first hand that an incubator can provide. My students will be involved in the growth, care and nurture for creatures other than themselves. We will be keeping growth logs, comparing the life cycle of the chicken, and comparing how their life cycle is similar and different from other animals. Connections will be made through literature between fiction and nonfiction stories, such as "Chickens Aren't the Only Ones." The experience will be shared throughout our small school community in the hope that all the children will become part of a greater learning connection.
We are not considered a title one school, so we have no funding for creative projects.
My students are not provided the opportunity to experience one of life's mysteries, birth. Please consider us for this wonderful project. It will make learning the life cycle of all animals more meaningful to an outstanding group of children.
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 Mrs. Airoldi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
