"This was so much fun. Can we do more!" This is what I like to hear from my science club members. We like to do science activities that the classroom teacher doesn't have time for or doesn't fit in the curriculum yet has a high student interest level.
Our public school district is on the edge of a major city.
The district covers a very large area with small populations scattered among the rolling hills. Within the school boundary line, there is very little income generating business so the district is always scrambling to come up with money. 68% of our students are on free or reduced lunches. Most of the buildings are old and have been renovated many times but the faculty is very upbeat and does the best they can with what they do have. After school clubs at the middle school where I teach are encouraged but get no funding from the school district. Teachers do get a small stipend for leading the club and end up using their own money to fund the projects the students do. More than half of the 800 students at my school participate in an after school club.
My Project
Clubs offer a chance for students to have a place to go that offers a window to activities they do not have in the regular classroom setting. In Science Club, I try to do experiments and projects that are not included in the regular grade 6-8 curriculum. This exposes the students to possibilities for a future career in science or tweaks their interest in taking a course in high school or college. Our club is open to all three grades so I basically have to do new things on a three year rotation so I am not repeating myself and boring the kids. There are a few things they want to do every year but it is sometimes difficult to come up with ideas that we have supplies that are already at hand. This year I want to do a forensic science unit which is always a high interest item due to all the TV programs that are crime related. I need supplies that will let us do investigations, learn good science and have fun!
Your donation will enable me to take the students to a higher level of science investigation by having supplies that they wouldn't normally have access.
We can only do so many experiments with vinegar and baking soda. With the educational emphasis on Common Core in math and language arts, science has been put on the educational back burner yet we are more in need of scientists that ever before. Science club help fills this gap. Thank you for your consideration.
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