Help me give my students a tinkering toolkit to provide materials, along with STEM and project-based learning kits, that will allow them to collaborate, problem-solve, explore, and create open-ended explorations to learn about the world around them.
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
My first graders will continue their learning adventure in the center of a small urban district. Our school is a Title I school with approximately seven hundred students in grades K-5. The student body has a large percentage of English Learners. We have eighty-five percent minority students and over eighty percent free or reduced-price lunch population. Within this challenge is strength and determination, as our school strives to close the achievement gap while growing confident and successful learners.
First grade is setting the foundation for a lifetime of inquiry and a love for learning.
These little scholars are at an age when everything is still new and exciting and their quest to know "how?" and "why?" makes each day a joy to experience. I strive to provide them with experiences that will not only ignite a passion to wonder and question, but will also give them the skills to find the answers they seek.
My Project
My scholars come from households with few opportunities to explore, problem solve, and think outside the box. A Tinkering Toolkit would provide various building and construction materials to allow them to take presented scenarios and work together to plan and test various solutions. Along with a STEM Create-A-Reaction set and project-based learning kit, my first graders would have a variety of ramps, gears, blocks, books, marbles, wheels, sticks, project cards, and other materials with which to explore our national science standards in a hands-on and open ended way.
If my first grade scholars are to strive to be (in many cases) first generation college students who excel in college and careers, they must start now by learning how to be creative, innovative team players with the confidence to take a challenge and solve it!
Language arts, math, science, and social studies concepts and skills are most effectively learned through project-based learning and exploration that is student driven. My desire is to create a classroom environment that provides the materials, support, and confidence for my scholars to be able to work at their own pace and skill level while practicing real world problem solving through projects and challenges.
More than three‑quarters of 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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