My students are full of wonder and love towards learning. This is an incredible group of first grade students who truly enjoy coming to school. My students are ages 6 and 7 and include a wide range of cultural backgrounds. This group of students enjoys exploring and learning new things. Their high interest in creating and participating in high level thinking activities and projects connects across the curriculum. This is a critical age to increase social connections and cultivate a student centered classroom founded on critical thinking and collaboration. This is my 20th consecutive year teaching at a Title I school. Along with being a Title I school, we are a STEM and PBL school. Living in Silicon Valley at the heart of I dream of filling my room with exciting, high interest, hands-on STEM activities to cultivate imagination and increase collaboration among students. Their excitement towards participating in hands-on STEM activities makes me want to do everything that I possibly can to provide them with the most interactive classroom environment possible.
My Project
Finding grade level appropriate engineering activities for the "E" in STEM has been challenging. The Building Bricks STEM challenges and Building Bridge Engineering kit will provide hands-on Engineering activities for my first graders to create, design, and problem solve. The Chain Reaction Activities and the Block Play STEM Early Learning Kit will both provide opportunities for collaboration, communication, and critical thinking STEM design challenges.
The hands-on building experiences and design challenges provided by interacting with these STEM resources will improve confidence, peer collaboration and critical thinking among all students.
I am incredibly thankful for any help that my students receive in obtaining these wish list items through DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Ms. O'Rourke and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.