At the end of kindergarten, I want my students to be independent, curious, enthusiastic learners who are able to solve problems. At the beginning of the year, they're very dependent on others to do most things for them. They have to learn by trying, making mistakes, and figuring out what to do next.
My students are 5 and 6-year-old children at a Title I school in urban Hawaii.
About 60% of our students are on free and reduced lunch. My school is one out of 36 elementary schools in the district that feed into six high schools. Our school has an ELL (English Language Learner) program that services students from at least a dozen different languages at any given time. Our school is truly a culturally diverse place with representatives from over 15 ethnic groups. Less than half of the students coming to kindergarten have had preschool experience so there are many other things the children have to learn besides the academics. Many families are from other countries so the children are learning about culture, too. Our school is also highly transient as we are a stopping place when families first move to Hawaii and later move when they find a permanent residence.
My Project
The LEGO DUPLO sets will help my students explore the mechanical side of science. In the past I have done a lot of life science projects for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) butterfly life cycle, plant life cycle, and problem solving in our garden (bugs and birds eating our plants). I would like to add resources for exploring simple machines in centers that the students can experiment with and explore. What kind of machines can help people (science - using observations and asking questions)? If their design (engineering) does not work, they can problem solve to figure out what can make it better. If they made it two blocks high and it didn't work, maybe they can make it four blocks high (engineering/math). They can also take pictures or videos (technology) of their projects with our mini iPads to help them remember what they did and use as a basis for writing about what they did (informative/explanatory text).
The most powerful way for children to learn is through exploration.
Supporting our LEGO project will allow the children an opportunity to explore their ideas and solve problems as they find ways to make their project better with the right tools. LEGOs are a fun way to develop problem solving skills that will help the students to be college and career ready.
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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. Masuda and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
