My students need supplies such as PH test paper, Litmus paper, gloves, and slides for inquiry-based labs that are the core of my science program and are woven into every lesson and concept strand.
So many people forget how utterly instinctive a child's curiosity and urge to investigate is. Science labs tap into these instincts and develop them into knowledge and skills appropriate at any level.
My students are the typical 6th grade students.
Curious but keeping it cool; eager to learn but keeping it cool; ready for anything, as long as we - keep it cool. We are in a rural district that has about 70% of our students on free/reduced lunches. Because of the local processing plants and factories, we have a very diverse student population consisting of Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian and Burmese cultures. Because many of our local industries are agriculturally based, we have a large migrant student population.
My Project
Density and measurement are concepts that are woven into many topics addressed in k-12 science education. When you understand density, you had better understand severe weather, rock formation, gas laws and separation of mixtures, buoyancy. However, the abstract nature of many science concepts makes them difficult for students to deeply understand. By purposefully engaging students in developing their scientific ideas and moving from the abstract to the concrete, a deeper understanding of fundamental science content is developed. Dissecting hearts will make the circulatory system come alive. Testing pH gives students real world applications to the abstract concept of the potential of hydrogen. Evolution and selective breeding are hard for 6th graders to visualize, but with these materials, students will have a deeper understanding of those concepts.
Because the science ideas my students learn this year will influence how they feel and learn about science in the future, it is crucial to accurately explain and teach concepts like density and other natural phenomena and make these concepts applicable to my students' lives.
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