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
Science becomes real when you can touch it. Learning about minerals is really hard without ever having seen them.
My students are 27 fourth graders from a low income, urban charter school in Southern California.
My students love science. They love all the science they can get their hands on. Unfortunately, with the way budgets are, it's hard to get your hands on very much science at all. My students have not yet had the natural love of science and exploration dulled by too many books and worksheets without real world materials. I want to keep the thirst for scientific knowledge alive and develop their growing knowledge.
My Project
Learning about minerals is very abstract ... until you can hold them in your hands. I'm asking for mineral kits so that when we talk about identifying minerals - they can do it. They can use the hardness scale and other identifying features to actually identify minerals. They can see the qualities in the actual sample as we talk about it. The poster will show real and vivid pictures of minerals that can't be brought into the classroom. With a topographic globe, students will be able to feel and see what we're talking about when we say that mountains are created via plate tectonic movement. Overall, these materials make science come alive for students. Who knows - I may have a budding geologist in my class. Even if I don't, all of the students will use the information to further their knowledge base. These resources will help my students access an area of science in a very real, meaningful, and lasting way.
My school budget for science materials is pretty non-existent.
Without help from others, science learning is compromised. Please help my students access science. A scientifically knowledgeable population is beneficial for society ... it starts young. Help my students learn!
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
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 Mrs. Fennema and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
