My STEM classrooms have diverse populations and I love it. The students are all colors, shapes, and sizes. They are bright, funny, energetic, and curious. The two schools I serve are Title I schools with over half of the student population qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
The students I teach face adversity in their daily lives, and they look forward to STEM class because they know that they will get to do hands-on activities.
In each lesson, they learn about something that will help them better understand the world or get to create something that solves a problem. Students work in pairs and groups to reinforce their interpersonal communication skills as well.
My Project
I am requesting a set of 8 books that I can use with in my classes. I will use these books to hook students interest in STEM, launch different design challenges, and teach positive character traits.
These text are themed to encourage perseverance, divergent thinking, and a growth mindset.
I also have specific design challenges to match each books. In, Perfect Square, by Michael Hall, a square of construction paper is transformed into many different objects by tearing, folding, cutting, and rearranging shapes and pieces. Student can then be challenged to create something using a single square of paper. This is perfect because it can vary based on the age and ability of the student. Younger students can create two dimensional objects while older students can construct something three dimensional with scissors and tape or try out some origami. This is also a perfect introduction to Tangram puzzles.
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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. Katz STEM and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
