Help Immigrant Kids Discover the Microscopic World
My students need two digital microscopes to see the invisible world of protists.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Finney's classroom raised $844
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Our school serves an urban, low income population of recent immigrants who are classified as English language learners, or ELLs. These young people are from diverse nations, religious faiths and life experiences. Some enjoyed consistent schooling in their own countries, while others had their education interrupted by civil war, famine and economic disruption. The common thread they share is our school, which brings this unlikely community together to learn, grow and work towards their own version of the American dream.
One of the persistent challenges in teaching in such a heterogeneous environment is reaching everyone 'where they are.' Science can be an abstract concept for native English speakers, and the vocabulary creates a significant barrier between these kids and their understanding of nature. To meet this challenge, we rely heavily on hands-on experiences that both provide kids a chance to develop new science understandings, as well as a tangible context for learning a rich English vocabulary. The invisibility of the microscopic world makes this aspect of biology a particularly challenging topic for young people to learn.
Given reduced school budgets, we are feeling pressure to trim rather than increase the types of materially rich classrooms we know can engage and inspire young people. Creative, homespun kitchen-sink science is one solution, but for some topics, like astronomy, there is no substitute for the real tools of the discipline. The opportunity to create, save and share images of cells would allow more time to learn to describe, measure and compare the cells that they see.
With your support, you can bring the cellular world, so near at hand, within our grasps. Hand-on experience will not only open their minds to unimagined career possibilities, they will build confidence in the skills they will need to pursue further study in science in college. Please help make this dream a reality!
More than three‑quarters 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 Mr. Finney and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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