Previously I have taught language arts, and my position is now that of a science teacher. As such, I have little accumulated in the way of supplies to work with when it comes to helping students to interact with these content areas. Our school has a very small budget , which makes providing supplies for science class difficult. Much of the equipment we have is either old and out-dated, or it simply does not exist.
Students in our school come from a wide array backgrounds.
Most do not have the luxury of time to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the world, which can make instruction difficult when they don't have adequate background knowledge. Many struggle with the basic skills of reading a full-length text, so motivating them can be a challenge. My classroom sees a large number of ELL and SPED students, in addition to general education students and those with gifted and talented needs. My students are willing to work when engagement is high, and the best way to engage them is through hands-on learning experience.
My Project
I am a brand new science teacher this year. As such, I've been learning a lot and trying numerous new ideas I've never used in teaching before. One of the greatest stresses for me as a teacher is finding a great idea for students, but not being able to figure out if I can make it happen due to a lack of supplies.
In our most recent lab, there were not enough beakers for students to use and a lot of sharing had to happen.
While sharing isn't a bad thing, it can slow down the progress these budding scientists need to make. It can also lead to an increase in negative and potentially harmful behaviors, as waiting for supplies is "boring," to quote my students.
I have about 4 beakers and 3 graduated cylinders currently. With the addition of the 10 sets I am requesting, each table group and lab partnership would have access to their own beakers and graduated cylinders. This will increase time on task, engagement, and student ownership of their lab work.
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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. Robinson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
