Do you remember when you first fell in love with learning? Did you ever have that experience? As children, we start off being miniature scientists, constantly experimenting with the world around us, asking the never ending string of questions, making impossible inventions of creativity.
School, at times, can squelch the fire within us to explore, create, and get messy.
As a teacher in a science classroom, and a leader in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) public school, I refuse to squelch the fire of curiosity in my students.
My students come from many different backgrounds, reaching my doors full of excitement and confidence or fear and uncertainty. All of them need equal opportunity to engage in the work we do in STEM, no matter their backgrounds. There is magic in discovery and my students show that to me every time they have the opportunity to create their own ideas, to test their own thoughts, and to contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
STEM should not be a thing that excludes those students who don't feel "smart" enough, or stops students from creating and exploring simply because they don't have the means to build what they imagine.
My Project
These two kits are all about building a way for one form of energy to be transformed to another--a fundamental learning for all of my Physical Science students. Beyond this standard, our world requires new ways in which to produce energy besides fossil fuels. My students will be engaging with these energy kits by using them to think through different ways in which we can use alternative energy to help mitigate or even solve our current energy crisis.
The energy crisis can be solved by allowing our young minds to innovate, engineer, and problem-solve.
This is just what we will be doing in this project--focusing on the possibilities of energy conversion and how we can use this in our own lives to help reduce our own fossil-fuel energy footprint.
Hands-on kits and engineering projects such as these ones engage my students in the true practice of science and engineering, helping to excite them about their potential future in STEM careers. By donating to this project, you help to ensure the continuation of our STEM pipeline!
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 Ms. Martin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
