My students need tote bags, fabric markers, materials for an oil spill clean up project, science ocean conservation books, and a GoPro bundle with memory card.
This project was inspired by Beach Buddies- Teach for the Planet. We have a responsibility to teach our children how to be good stewards of the Earth and this project will allow my students to participate in hands on lessons that will allow them to create environmentally conscious habits now.
The second graders at my school are high achieving and they love to come to school.
Science is one of our favorite subjects because it involves hands-on experiments and students can test their theories and apply their learning. Our students are environmentally conscious and want to know how they can make a difference in our local and surrounding communities. Since Irvine is located so close to the beach, we want to partner our second and fifth graders to learn about protecting our beaches from marine debris caused by humans. We will focus on single use plastics and the importance of reducing oil consumption. To do this, our students will work together to examine and the debris on our campus and at our beaches. After examining the debris, students will work together on solutions for reducing their personal footprint on the environment. In addition, they will brainstorm plans on how to help protect our local marine life.
My Project
I want our 2nd and 5th graders to understand how their actions impact our environment. Together, all students will read books about recycling and local marine animals at the rug. Next students will use the gloves to clean up our campus. They’ll analyze the trash looking at plastic bags and bottles and discussing the impact of this trash on our local marine life. We will use the markers to decorate reusable totes to take home for future shopping trips. After reading about oil spills, we will create a mock oil spill clean up experience where students will materials such as oil absorbing towels & cotton balls to try and clean it up. Through this, students will learn the importance of reducing oil consumption and conserving energy. The GoPro camera will be used to document their experiences and for students to create awareness videos about the importance of marine conservation and how they can make a difference.
It was important for our students to learn about marine conservation and how their actions impact the ocean life around us.
This project shows our students why it is important to leave a smaller footprint behind. They will become aware of how small changes, like using a reusable tote when shopping, can make a huge difference to our local marine life. Our students want to make a positive impact on the world, and this project gives them ownership for caring for our community and local beaches.
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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 Mrs. Morikawa and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.