This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
"Not all is doom and gloom. We are beginning to understand the natural world and are gaining a reverence for life - all life."-Roger Tory Peterson
Our hope is that by providing students regular opportunities to learn about and care for some earthly creatures, and that they will become environmental stewards.
Our school is an urban, Title I elementary in a low-economic area of town.
Most students do not have pets nor many opportunities to interact with nature. (Although our 3rd/4th graders have participated in a city-funded, year-long environmental education program for the last three years). We strive to provide during and before/after school opportunities for students in K-5 to learn more about nature, specifically the plants, organisms and creatures that make up healthy, diverse ecosystems. As an International Baccalaureate PYP school, all students are involved in units of inquiry yearly that directly pertain to the sciences; the transdisciplinary themes of How the World Works and Sharing the Planet are two of the six 5-week units that all students participate in year that are aligned to the state core content standards.
My Project
Science textbooks do not advance learning as much as real hands-on experiences do. The resources that we are requesting are to enhance our Discovery Lab that has limited live animals at present time-just a few anoles, beetles and crayfish. We would like to add more: hermit crabs, a river tank (with fish and amphibians), frogs, and ants (to our currently empty ant farm); and of course, raise our own feeder crickets. The goal is to create a room that houses many, many live creatures so that classes may come to do observations and inquiry lessons on a regular basis now that we do not have an itinerant Science Teacher. Moreover, a before/after school Zoo Crew will be responsible in maintaining the room and tending to the feeding and maintenance of bedding and habitats. All students will not only be able to participate in life science lessons, but they also will develop an appreciation for the natural world. The Discovery Lab will be a way for students to make connections about their learning.
As an International Baccalaureate school, our mission is to develop internationally-minded students in pursuit of knowledge as they assume responsibility in shaping their community.
We foster acceptance, tolerance, & empathy for people of other cultures and languages; we also want our students to be global citizens creating a better world for all creatures, great and small, and to be aware of their impact on our Earth.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Bosco and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
