At our school, we do learning differently. Instead of traditional curriculum, we focus on Project-Based Learning. This means that we present our students with real-world problems/questions that require students to incorporate their knowledge from all disciplines to solve.
They are a multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-talented group of young people that are passionate about learning things in a non-traditional way.
They ride buses from all over the city to attend school in the heart of downtown.They have chosen to attend their high school, the first Energy focused school in the Nation, to be exposed to engineering, robotics and hands-on experience with our city's top industry.
Our project-based campus gives these students a voice in their education.
My Project
Our school’s mission is to provide interdisciplinary, hands-on learning that involves students in all aspects of the learning process. Our students will be able to move beyond worksheets and lectures and apply their learning in real-world projects. The tools and supplies on this DonorsChoose proposal will allow my students to explore current environmental issues. In my Algebra II class, my students will research the decline of wild salmon populations and the deterioration of their natural spawning habitats and migration routes. These supplies, in conjunction with knowledge of current fishways, will aid my students in creating ballistic devices that facilitate the movement of salmon to spawning grounds. Students will use PVC pipe and joints, wood glue, screws, and nails to design, prototype, and build full scale models to understand projectile motion and how it applies to the real world. The drills, hammers, clamps, and safety goggles will allow students to design and build in the classroom, integrating skills learned in their engineering classes in a new context.
My students will step away from their desks and outside of the traditional classroom to “catapult” their learning to the next level.
Students will use model the motion of their devices to map the trajectory of their salmon. Then, students will create and graph exponential growth and decay functions to reflect the current rate of decline for the salmon population and the projected increase in population due to their device. Students will display their device, tests, and findings for industry professionals, parents, and community members at a public exhibition later this year.
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. White and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
