My students need STEM books to serve as mentor texts for our upcoming writing units and to serve as inspiration for our Design Thinking projects.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Killeen's classroom raised $536
This project is fully funded
My Students
The children of immigrants, or immigrants themselves- my students value hard work and the opportunities they have, but face many social, emotional, and economic challenges. Over half of them are English Learners and 90 percent come from low income families. Many have come to the United States fleeing intolerance or other hardships at home, and are now learning to live in a very diverse community.
My students are developing into reflective learners who seek out opportunities for action.
At our school, we have a focus on communication through writing and presentation literacy. They are learning to tell their own stories. And with such a wide range of experiences to share and to learn from, they have a lot of stories to tell.
My class is caring, curious, and motivated. They love team-building activities and practicing their leadership skills. They enjoy math, and the Zumba breaks that come afterwards. They get lost in stories and beg for one more chapter. They love using technology to develop research skills, and to share what they've learned. They are great at making do with limited resources, but have so much potential to achieve more, given the opportunity.
My Project
Later this month, I will attend a Design Thinking Conference with some of my colleagues and then return to school to collaborate on opening our Makerspace. My 4th grade class was chosen as the class that gets to pilot the Makerspace this year. As they will be spending considerable time there, it's important for me that all subject areas are integrated into their Design Thinking projects, which in themselves focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.
I am requesting STEM story books to serve as mentor texts for writing about STEM/STEAM, helping students to understand the many ways that authors include STEM topics in their writing.
The beginning of this project coincides with our narrative writing unit. I believe that my students will find considerable inspiration for the art of creative writing through conducting STEM projects. They will write fictional stories based on their experiences with Design Thinking and publish a picture book anthology. We will then move into Informational Writing and my students will have the opportunity to explain and illustrate their projects using writing and art. The non fiction books I've included here will greatly contribute to their understanding. I am planning to use lessons from an incredible book called STEM to Story by 826 National in order to connect their STEM projects to their writing.
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
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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. Killeen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
