This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
As a teacher in a low-income/high-poverty school district, my students have been largely deprived of long-term, scientific inquiry projects. Despite these challenges, my students continue to be extremely curious about the natural and physical world around them, and are constantly asking questions.
In order to create well-rounded young adults, the science classroom must be a place of inquiry and discovery.
I teach my students that, "science is everywhere", a mantra that students have embraced wholeheartedly. My students are hungry for information, and are the most engaged when they are performing hands-on inquiry activities. I want to provide my students with a project that allows them to not only learn more about the natural world, but also give them a means to change the community that they live in.
The power of hands-on learning cannot be underestimated. A scientific garden opens up a world of opportunities for students, reaching far beyond the classroom. In short, this project will introduce students to current, tangible world issues in an engaging and stimulating way.
My Project
If funded, students will use these garden supplies to create a scientific plot in the community garden in our town. They will explore the basics of scientific inquiry while learning more about gardening, health, and nutrition. Students would use the grow lamp apparatus as they explore plant cultivation. A grow lamp is required to manipulate the amount of sunlight that will reach different plant specimens, to help students understand photosynthesis, and to also recognize that some plants respond differently to light than others. The project requires potting soil to plant specimens in the test plots located at the community garden. The comprehensive seed set well help students further their understanding of plant and animal diversity. Each plant provides a unique micro-ecosystem that can be explored, and attracts different pollinators. Students will be able to explore the differences in plant structures of monocots and dicots, and be able to explore the nutritional needs of each category of plants.
By choosing food crops, students will also explore the cultural and social importance of agriculture.
By providing a means to grow food, students have the opportunity to become empowered about where their food comes from, and can explore issues as varied as food deserts, GMO’s, health/nutrition, and environmental sustainability.
This project will take place after school through the Rosedale Freedom Project, a community organization committed to preparing middle and high school students for college and beyond. By implementing this project after school hours, we will increase the time spent critically thinking, learning, and analyzing scientific concepts covered in class, raising test scores in both science and math. More importantly, the additional time will allow students to further explore the connection between science and society, that only a hands-on, after school project can provide.
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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. Rapisarda and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.