“Have you ever heard of the Blue People of Troublesome Creek?” Silence... blank stares... “I’m not kidding. There were blue people who lived in the hills of Kentucky!” A student objects, “No way, people can’t be blue.” I simply smile and pull up a picture.
Science is full of bizarre things that many people can’t believe are true.
But in my classroom, my students learn that even the unbelievable can, in fact, be 100% true.
My students are curious, excited, ready to learn. We spend our days discussing the oddities of the world and trying to figure out solutions to its problems. Their creativity and ingenuity continually blow me away.
My school is located in the small rural town of Brooklet, Georgia. It is a small farm community and many of my students are from lower-income, rural backgrounds. Many of them plan on going to college but because we are such a small school there are only a few enrichment programs and none of these programs are focused on STEM enrichment opportunities. I try my best to provide them with real-world meaningful experiences within the classroom that exposed them to the exciting possibility of careers in the sciences.
My Project
Genetics is one of the most challenging things students have to learn. The concepts are foreign and hard to visualize. The best way for them to learn it is to see, touch it, feel it, discuss it. But, how can you do that when the processes can't be seen in real-time.
Modeling allows students to see, touch, feel, and figure out how the microscopic phenomenon occurs.
This project will supply students will real-world problem-solving opportunities to discover and diagnose actual genetic disorders through the use of the Disorder Detectives and Genes and ConSEQUENCES Classroom Kits. Please consider helping my students with these awesome learning opportunities.
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 Mrs. Hibbs-Heiser and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.