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.
My Students
Do you remember how fascinating science was when you were doing science instead of just reading about it? My students have almost no laboratory materials so they can experience how science is applied. With this project I will link two top-end science classes: Physics and Anatomy with Forensics.
My students are a high risk, minority population attending an urban K-12.
This school was ranked lowest performing in the state. During their middle school years, my students didn't have books, qualified teachers, or even a classroom. Science was taught in the hallway where they sat on the floor without desks and did worksheets. Four years ago, a new principal entered and turned this around. We are raising student performance in science by introducing as many laboratory activities and analyses as possible with direct links to application. Physics was offered for the first time ever last year. The majority of those students enrolled in Anatomy this year and are college bound. Unfortunately the economic crisis is hitting hard here in Nevada and our district has cut our budget severely. There are simply no funds to purchase materials for laboratory work.
My Project
My vision for these materials is to link my Physics class with my Anatomy classes and have the students not only perform Forensic investigations to learn the direct application of the subject they are learning but share what they learned with each other. Peer review and sharing of information is a critical step in science that is often missed in the classroom. Being able to analyze information and present it to others is also a valuable life skill they will need as they leave high school. The Anatomy classes will study the circulatory system and their knowledge of the differences between arterial and venous flow will be applied to prepare blood spatter areas which will be investigated by the Physics class. The Physics students will begin their piece by studying basic ballistics trajectories using the ballistics kit and will then move on to apply their knowledge to analyze the trajectories produced by the anatomy students with the spatter kits.
Help me inspire my students to science careers by learning through doing science instead of just reading about it.
Science is learned through doing and process, not memorization and unfortunately my students have not had much practice with these critical phases of learning. With the economy in Nevada these materials won't be available without donations. I hope this project will not only keep them on the path to continue their education, but to pursue science careers.
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 Mrs. Reichenbach and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
