My students need 2 K'NEX DNA model kits to explore, build and understand DNA in a hands-on way.
$159 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! 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.
My students are as diverse as New York City in race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and ability. Our school demographics are sixty-two percent Hispanic, twenty-eight percent Black, five percent Asian and three percent White, with eighty-five percent of students receiving free or reduced price lunches. My students come to school everyday from all five boroughs with various needs, persevering against all the challenges life has thrown at them.
I have students who come to school with so little and students coming to school without breakfast and without backpacks.
Some cannot live at home with their parents and some do not even have a place to call home. Our students deal with many challenges including mental health issues, gun violence and pregnancies. I want to be able to use my time with my students to provide them all with the education opportunities they deserve.
My Project
DNA is what makes us unique on a fundamental level - but that intrinsic importance does not always translate to students in the classroom. One of the most common reasons is that DNA is so microscopic you can't see it with the naked eye. How are students supposed to appreciate something that they cannot see?
My students need DNA model kits to explore the shape and structure of DNA to see how it works hands-on.
This will give them the ability to really see what they cannot see. These K'Nex kits are a way for students to work hands-on to build the shape and structure of our genetic code. Just like real scientists, students will be able to observe the helical structure of DNA, and see the different nucleotides, and explore at how DNA can be transcribed and translated. By getting two kits, my students will get more individual practice and face time with these models. These hands-on activities provide rich educational experiences that you cannot get from reading a textbook. Having students actually build DNA molecules will get them to understand its intricacies and importance to all living things. It will give students another avenue into exploring STEM, and create engaged and excited science students.
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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 Ms. Paradise and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.