Do you remember what it was like to play with legos as a child? Imagine taking this enjoyable past time and turning it into a competition celebrating creativity, logic, science, engineering, mathematics, and technology! Our school would love to adopt a STEM program but cannot afford to do so.
My students are amazing!
They attend a Title I school in a small, rural area. Due to increased budget cuts, the students are victims of losing resources that make learning exciting and fun for them. Many of the students come from economically disadvantaged families. Despite these disadvantages, they work extremely hard and make the best out of every situation. My classroom is never quiet. If you were to walk inside, you would see the students working cooperatively to solve problems and facilitate their own learning. Each student has a unique personality and brings wonderful ideas to the table. When they get frustrated, they are motivated to work even harder at their task and do not give up until their task is complete. When testing, my students do not settle for circling an answer to a multiple choice question and moving on. Instead, they take the time to prove their answers by justifying each choice they make.
My Project
More and more schools are adopting STEM programs. Our school has not been able to fully implement this kind of curriculum due to the expense. Currently, the science curriculum is taught through worksheets and outdated textbooks. There is very little opportunity for hands on, creative learning. Providing these lego kits to our students will afford them the opportunity to think outside of the box. They will be able to work cooperatively with their peers to solve problems. Working on a project like this will not only be fun but will also teach them life skills that they will need as adults. A Lego City competition will get them excited about Science again. Students will be able to learn to work as a team and feel pride in what they created. Participating in an activity like this will give them a memory that they will never forget as adults. Textbooks and worksheets students will never remember. Hands on projects that the students attach meaning to will stay with them forever!
This project is extremely important because the engineering component of STEM is something that these students have yet to experience.
Students learn from actively participating in the material. This project will take the teacher out of the equation and make the students responsible for their own learning. Without these donations, this type of a curriculum is not possible and my students will miss out on important experiences. It will teach my students that people can make a difference.
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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. Geraci and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.