The cost of a saltwater tank and tank animals set (from Carolina Biological Supply Company) is $732, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
For students to understand an environment, they must experience an environment. The students with whom I work are from a rural, small town setting. With the closing of area textile mills, many local families have experienced job and income losses. We are a Title I school, and the students that I serve in my classes are mostly from low-income families. These students have not had the science experiences that children from upper income families have had. The state standards for fifth grade life science include ecosystems such as marine environments, saltwater marshes, wetlands, etc.; and the earth science standards also address the landforms associated with these environments. Although South Carolina has many beautiful beaches, many of the students I teach know very little about beach environment. When I ask students who have been to the beach about what they saw or did there, they tell me about amusement parks, shows, and shopping. Invertebrates, tides, and wetlands have no meaning to these students because they have never experienced them. With this proposal, I am seeking to bring into the classroom first-hand experiences with sea-life. My students are quite tactile learners--they need to touch, feel, and see. For this purpose, I would like to set up a saltwater touch tank in the classroom. When I show students my collection of shells and dried specimens, they have no concept of the animals that made these shells or the way the dried specimens live and interact. By providing live specimens, I hope to make students want to research what the animal is and how it lives. I also hope to establish an outreach program where my students might visit other classrooms to share what they learn about marine life.
Nearly all 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. Blackmon and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.