"If you think reading is boring, you're doing it wrong." Yet how many people hate to read? Take pride in the fact that they never read? Have truly never read a book in their lifetime?
How can I create a generation of readers when I teach science?
In my fast growing yet still rural community west of Cleveland, I teach students of all backgrounds. I've created a small library in my classroom, with as many books on my shelves as students on my roster. Just like my books, my students come in every shape, size, and genre. I teach students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, race, and religion. I teach some of the lowest achieving students in the school, as well as some of the highest. I teach college bound students, tech school students, and future dropouts.
I may teach science, but I teach my students that reading is fun. Every week, at least one student asks, "Are we reading this week?" At the beginning of the year, it is asked with dread. By the end of the year, it is a question filled with hope.
My Project
Science is hard. Molecules are small - abstract - and that can make them difficult for students to visualize. With a 3-D printer in my classroom, together, we can make molecules come to life.
Students can watch as, layer by layer, we create 3-D models of the molecules we interact with in our environment every day.
Having a model of carbon dioxide, or water, or even complex molecules like proteins and DNA to hold, manipulate, and connect with will deepen my student's understanding of the world around them. Over time, students will go from watching me create models, to learning how to make them independently.
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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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. Villaire and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.