My classroom is very different from any other situation I have ever witnessed. I have the joy of teaching grade Kindergarten through 6th Grade Science Lab as a special every day. Students rotate to me for 40 minute blocks to learn, discover, and grow in science, specifically STEM projects.
The students in our school, which are approximately 675, come from very diverse economic levels as well as social backgrounds.
We are by no means a well to do district and see a lot of turnover in students due to parents having to move, get new jobs, or being new to the state. We are considered a low income district. I have the chance to teach every student in the building. It is incredible that despite some of the adversities they face while outside of the school walls, how much focus many of them have while in class. They have a wide range of ability but all share one common trait, they love their school. There is a huge sense of community within the building that the students are a core of. No matter what the academic level, students genuinely care about others and themselves.
My Project
The materials I am requesting are to help support all of the students grow in the engineering portion of our labs. The Lego manipulatives will assist my students develop and create their own designs and help them grow confidence in their own abilities. In our classroom, students have time to develop their own engineering ideas. They design and create models of different things they envision creating. Unfortunately, we do not have the supplies necessary for them to bring their designs to life. During their time in my room, I want to give them the opportunity to build, edit, and rebuild their designs.
The donation will greatly improve the classroom climate by allowing each and every student the opportunity to succeed in their own engineering experiments.
Currently, we do not have enough supplies for each student which results in shared projects. This is sometimes a great thing, however, many times, certain students do not get the chance to develop their own thoughts because they are sacrificed for the group. By getting this donation, I hope to empower each child to see their visions through.
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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