"Crayfish, meet the crayfish, they're crustaceans that live in a pond..." This quickly becomes our favorite class song. This year I'd like to expand our crayfish unit to include art and technology, but I do not have the funds or materials to make this a reality.
I teach a curious and creative group of third graders.
They adore science and hands-on activities. They love art, but we have limited opportunities to weave art into the curriculum. They have grown with technology and use it in their daily lives, but have not had the opportunity to fully explore technology tools at school beyond a weekly trip to the computer lab. Multi-faceted lessons that go well beyond a textbook page become the most memorable and engaging experiences for these students.
My Project
Each year we do an investigative series of lessons with live crayfish. Students look forward to this all year as older students continue to talk about their excitement with holding a crayfish for the first time. I want to capitalize on this excitement and take our unit two steps further than science alone. Students will use the iPad to first explore crayfish ecosystems and discover and analyze photos of the variety of crayfish in our world. Afterward students will use the Model Magic to create 3D versions of a favorite type of crayfish. Students will paint their crayfish according to a specific color scheme and will mount their creatures onto a rock bed scene. Students will use the iStopMotion app on the iPad to create a stop motion video of their crayfish in various habitat scenes. They will also narrate video demonstrating their new understanding of crayfish behavior.
Science can be brought to life by incorporating art and technology.
I know that this year, with the help of the Lily Sarah Grace Fund and other generous donors, that this will be the most talked about crayfish unit ever!
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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. Viscardi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.