My students need cameras to document their watershed conservation efforts including Brook trout being raised in the classroom and their release in local P. Creek.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Cramer's classroom raised $752
This project is fully funded
My Students
I hear & I forget; I see & I remember; I do & I understand. Raising trout from eggs to releasing them locally, students are engaged in a real-world, cold-water conservation study. Publicizing our findings digitally is crucial for continued community support and preservation!
Our seventh graders thrive with project-based learning.
We live in a suburban/urban setting and are the only middle school in a small district. Social and emotional development is difficult for students of this age. Involvement in a class-sponsored project has built ties among students who normally wouldn't interact socially. Our students are scheduled using a full inclusion model. This means kids with abilities ranging from those requiring learning support to those identified as gifted and talented are in the same science classes. Learning to work with one another is a skill they can transfer to all other facets of their lives. Our students are excited to do a project in "their own backyard." They like to share personal stories of how they use the creek and parks for recreation. This project gives further responsibility and ownership over the environment to them for years to come.
My Project
Access to these cameras will allow students to create digital photo-stories and print material communications for local newspapers, our school TV station, the local libraries, and their own families to enjoy. Real-world activities involving proper writing and story-telling requires students to employ the skills they are taught in reading and language arts classes in a fun, meaningful way. Students love to use technology. They will learn how to organize the files electronically using industry-standard software. Having access to seven cameras will allow smaller groups of students to be more productive in the allotted class periods. Currently, I have one personal digital camera that I bring in to allow students to use. I look forward to the students using the cameras to produce documentary-style pieces for their class grade as well.
I've done this project on a smaller scale in the past so I know this is doable. I look forward to even better projects with these resources.
Research has shown that student interest and confidence in their ability to do math and science wanes in middle school.
It is my duty to provide interesting and relevant activities to my students at this critical stage in their adolescent development. Their future engagement and care for their environment depends on it!
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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. Cramer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.