My students need Lego sets and base plates, a K'nex set and storage bins.
$535 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.
Creating a contraption is more fun and memorable than just learning about a scientific process. I want my students to create simple machines to understand the process of force, all while having fun!
Most of my students are from the local area.
English is a second language for many of them. Our school is a Title One school that participates in both free breakfast and free lunch. Our students love to learn, especially when it involves a hands-on activity! Attendance, behavior, and fact retention is higher when the students learn through doing. Many of the students are familiar with LEGOs. When they start a new topic, such as Compound Machines, it is less frightening for them if they are manipulating familiar LEGOs and K'NEX items.
My Project
Engineering is a component of the "Next Generation" science standards. Basic physics such as motion and force are also standards that my students need to master. Starting with the LEGO classic bricks, my students will learn to build basic structures and shapes. For instance, they will build a square box, then an oval or sphere. Eventually, they will create simple machines--like a hammer or lever--with the LEGOs before moving on to using the K'NEX set. My students will then explore the physics of simple and compound machines and how they work. To preserve the kits, prevent loss of pieces, and make them easier to store, they will be stored in the clear plastic boxes when not in use.
To try to make what we do resemble real-world situations, I want their projects to be something they are familiar with and see frequently.
All my students have seen and used LEGOs, and many have worked with K'NEX. Asking them to create a tow truck with a pulley system or build a Ferris wheel out of these kits increases their interest, their understanding, and their retention.
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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. Castaneda-Hepburn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.