Science is often a challenging subject for middle school students, yet, when given the right materials, it is the most fascinating and engaging subject of them all! Who hasn't made a vinegar and baking soda volcano at some point in their lives? We attend a small K-12th grade school located in a rural town in which there are just as many dirt roads as there are paved.
Many of my students are under resourced 7th and 8th graders who have a passion for learning about the world around them.
Limited only by their own understanding and previous classroom experiences, these young people thrive in an exploratory atmosphere. Many of them have had limited opportunities to receive high-quality science exposure due to the heavy emphasis on mathematics and literacy in the early years. Economic backgrounds and limited school resources have inhibited opportunities for them to learn kinesthetically, and develop their scientific communication skills linguistically. My students have had minimal exposure to project-based learning tasks which use real-world applications.
My Project
In my engineering and design class, my students do a lot structured designing and problem-solving. These are great skills that will help give them an edge up or even the playing field with their more affluent peers; however, my students also need opportunities to design, build and fail on their own creations, in a classroom where it's a safe space to do so. We are in need of more hands-on resources so that students can create models of their own design. For example, my students will be building Rue Goldberg contraptions using the race tracks and dominoes! The Makedo materials will be used in the construction of cardboard structures. The D-batteries will power electricity for their various contraptions and structures. Giving my students experiences where THEY are the designers and THEY are the engineers builds a self-confidence that really can't be taught. So thank you for investing in this project!
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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 Mr. Crane and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
