Molecular Model Madness!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I teach 5th, 7th, and 8th grade science at a high-needs K-8 school in New York. All students receive free lunch and face poverty as part of their daily lives. Many students come from Spanish speaking households, and many are first or second generation citizens. Despite the challenges they face, they are eager learners. In my classroom, students experience the process of scientific discovery. I try to create the most hands-on and engaging learning experience so that students advance with knowledge, skills, and a sense of wonder. However, making a hands-on classroom in a high needs area can be challenging.

While creativity can help you find many inexpensive alternative science products, expensive technical tools are in short supply. Molecular models are one such example; we have none. A student’s understanding of atoms and elements is greatly enhanced with models, but right now, all my students see is a formula written on paper. Some of the most important topics in middle school science, such as photosynthesis, matter, and human impact on the environment involve understanding of chemical compounds. Models help take the chemical formulas and turn them into something tangible. Additionally, New York State Science Standards for middle school call for students to be able to use chemical formulas and understand basic chemical compounds at the molecular level. Many students are also required to take chemistry in high school.

This grant proposal will fund one large periodic table of elements poster and two molecular model class kits. Each kit has enough atoms and bonds for 12 student sets, which will allow for work in small student groups. The first kit is for constructing common compounds such as water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen chloride. The second kit specializes in basic nutrition, allowing students to construct molecular models of sugars, fats, and proteins. The periodic table and both model kits will greatly help my students internalize the basics of chemistry.

Using models is one of the important ways scientists understand the world. Your help will ensure that my students have what they need to advance to higher levels of science and eventually become the doctors, engineers, and problem solvers of the future.