Making content real and personal is every teachers' challenge. My students study energy, and we dive into the controversy around energy sources. They sometimes think that there is no room for them in this debate, and I want to show them they can have a strong voice in the conversation.
My students are seventh graders in a large city.
They are excited to learn science, and most of them love to read. Our school is an older building and is one level. In the 2012-2013 school year we had 926 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. We have a very diverse population and have roughly 60% of students on free and reduced meals. Our school is an exciting place to learn and is filled with teachers who want to do whatever is best for kids.
My Project
In seventh grade we learn about energy in the second quarter. However, they feel like it is a distant issue and one that they can't impact. By exposing them to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind we will show our students the power they hold. We will inspire them to take ownership of their world's future and expose them to a powerful story.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells about a young man who used minimal supplies and an old science textbook to bring electricity to his small village in Malawi. By adding this text to our curriculum we will be empowering and challenging our students to take Gandhi's words literally and "Be the change they want to see in the world." Along with inspiring our students, we will be achieving our goal of adding more literacy support in the science classroom.
This project is important to our students because it exposes them to a fantastic story and at the same time integrates literacy into the science classroom.
By adding a novel to our curriculum, we will be challenging them on multiple levels and engaging them in a way that is not traditional to the science classroom. I know they will love the opportunity to learn William Kamkwamba's story!
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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. Monroe and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
