Meeting the Disney Planet Challenge in Our Neighborhood
My students need Encyclopaedia Britannica resources and books, like Rachel Carson titles, and "green-themed" books, so they can successfully conduct environmental science projects on the playground.
What happens when your playground looks like something from the Wump World--a place where nasty polluters have taken over? Well, you need to learn how to take it back!
My students attend a small K-6 public school that is over 30 years old.
Every week I work with 400 wonderful children. Many of them are at-risk. Over half of them qualify for free and reduced breakfast and lunch, but we are not a Title I school. We lack the resources of many schools. And although they represent the very best in America, many of my students do not have the funds for necessary school supplies. Our service area is 1/3 below the per capita income of the rest of our city.
Our student population is racially and ethnically diverse. It is 39% Anglo; 14% African American/Black; 16% Alaskan Native and American Indian; 7% Asian; 6% Hispanic; 3% Filipino; 15% multiracial. 10% are in bilingual/ bi-cultural programs. Since we are near two military bases, we also have a significant number of military families.
My students need help to become successful citizens and stewards of the earth. They need to learn about the environment and what they can do about it.
My Project
We plan to clean up our creek, mulch, weed invasive plants, plant local plants to help prevent erosion, and create a “nature walk” with science placards. A local store is going to donate a tree so students can learn about filtration systems for ground water, the benefits of trees, and tree anatomy.
I plan to teach students how to use science notebooks to record and share observations and data. I anticipate this being an integral part of our curriculum and could easily see it extending to the whole school and community as well as across the country.
The goals of my project are: 1) to reclaim and improve the appearance of our creek ; 2) to engage my students in the joys of caring for and learning about the environment; and 3) harness technology to share our scientific observations and discoveries. We need the project books and materials to make our dream come true.
My school is bounded by a creek, a rich, unexplored resource for our science curriculum.
In theory, classes could go outside in the spring and fall to learn about the ecosystem and natural habitat, but the place has become an overgrown, untended, trashy mess.
We desperately need help. We need to go from a Wump World to a Real World where people care about the environment.
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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. H. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.