Students as Engineers: The Materials for Hands-on STEM Projects
Help me give my students the materials they need to become engineers and make their own robots, Domino machines, light-up speakers, and levitating lanterns.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Young's classroom raised $1,964
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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
I teach at a small, community-based Title I (low-income) middle school in East Oakland. The majority of our students are immigrant families from Guatemala, Yemen, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and the U.S. Our students work super hard and they are eager to learn and succeed.
Two years ago, my school started a science and math program for recently arrived immigrants with limited or interrupted previous schooling experiences.
I teach science to students from Honduras and Guatemala who are primarily Mam speakers. Most of them are in their first year or second year in the US—what a year to arrive. We are working to create a safe and welcoming environment to foster their love of learning as they transition to in-person schooling while dealing with the new stress and responsibilities caused by the illness, job loss, and disruption caused by the pandemic.
My Project
I am requesting materials for my students to explore physics and engineering concepts as they make their own walking robots, domino machines, levitating lanterns, and light-up speakers.
With these materials, students will be able to learn about iterative design, chain reactions, energy transfer physics, electronics, sound waves, and the science of tension through hands-on making.
They will be able to see how wiring and machines work, as well as experience a sense of pride and accomplishment in going through the iterative design process engineering their own simple machines, and creating their own artwork through and with these machines. I hope that these projects will be a gateway to more imaginative engineering projects.
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. Young and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
