My students need a water sampling and testing kit.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Smitka's classroom raised $392
This project is fully funded
I believe that students today do not realize the beauty of nature. With advances in technology, today's students are constantly connected to each other yet it is a rare occurrence that students are able to go outside and connect with the world around them. I want to be able to give my students opportunities to understand how our world works. I am a 9th grade Biology teacher from a large urban fringe school district where for many of my students, the only outdoor experiences they may have are in their backyard. Our school has a large percentage of students on free or reduced lunch and often times funds are short at home as well as here in the classroom. I want to be able to give my students the world, but I only have the resources to give them a slice of it. This is where you come in! Please help my students open their eyes and understand the world around them by helping me purchase this water testing kit!
I feel that we need to create opportunities for our students to reconnect with nature and help them find that missing link that makes them appreciate the things that they have and make them want to preserve our world for future generations. Students need to reestablish that link that was lost when technology became more popular than their own backyard. In order to help support this initiative, I would like to bring a group of my biology students on a trip down a Michigan river to test it's water quality and learn about the ecology behind it. However, in order to perform tests, a water sampling and testing kit is needed and we do not have the sufficient funds to buy it. I want to be able to give my students this opportunity, but without the available testing supplies, the trip will just not be the same. Please help my students reconnect with nature and learn about biology at the same time!
In order for my students to have a successful educational trip, we will require a water testing kit. With it, my students will be learning how water systems work here in Michigan and throughout the world as well. By studying how rivers interact with the environment, how they contribute to watersheds and the surrounding sources of water and how we have a huge impact on the health of the water and its inhabitants, my students will be able to see themselves as a vital part of this valuable resource. As we travel down the river, my students will stop every now and then to perform various tests on the water and then use this data to determine what type of wildlife can survive in these waters. By doing this, we will be able to string together ideas that hold together these ecosystems. Using the data, we will meet back to collaborate and discuss our findings, helping to reinforce their understandings of our own Michigan ecosystems. I truly feel that if given the opportunity, this trip, with the help of the water testing kit would set off that "spark" in my students letting them excitedly go out and tell the world what they have discovered.
With your help, my students will understand their place in our world; be able to see their impact on how our waters flow and make real-world connections that they just can't do sitting in a classroom.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Mr. Smitka and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
