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
How can you understand electricity, magnetism, and minerals without anything but books? To fully understand science, my students need to get their hands on it! They need to move it, touch it, and explore it. Books are great, but they don't cut it for science.
My students are 52 Californian children in an urban, low-income, charter school.
They are mostly Latino. 85% of them are on free or reduced lunch. They are sometimes reluctant, but my students come in to school with a natural love and curiosity about science. They are eagerly willing to dive into science!
My Project
In fourth grade, science is exciting. We learn magnetism! We learn electricity! We learn rocks, minerals, and how the earth changes! We even watch things rot right in our very classroom when we learn about decomposition. Without the materials I've requested, the lessons become boring and dry very easily. Materials help make the lessons real and alive and oh so much more memorable. Specifically the materials I have requested will help us explore magnetic attraction and repulsion, properties and identification of minerals, creation of compasses and electromagnets, and animal adaptations.
Our country's test scores in science and math don't rank very well with the rest of the world.
It's ridiculous that a subject that comes so naturally to kids gets drilled out of them. Help me make it real, engaging, and meaningful for my students. I want them to leave fourth grade with a firm grasp of science.
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.
