The cost of aquarium animals, aquarium plants, and a 30-gallon tank from ETA/Cuisenaire is $813, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
I am assigned to teach first grade in the upcoming school year. I loop with my students, which means I start with them in first grade and go all the way to third or fourth grade with them. It is a very powerful program, as I get to know the students, their strengths, needs, learning styles and personalities so intimately. I am currently finishing a four-year loop with my current class of 27 fourth graders.
As I envision starting over with first graders, I think of all the things I will do differently and the things that will remain the same about my teaching. I know that I will continue to focus a great deal of time integrating both reading and math into the study of science concepts. One way that I would like to do this is to have a River Tank Ecosystem in our room. This resource would allow my students to observe the interaction of living things with their environment and each other. Because I loop with my students, they will be able to watch these interactions for 3 to 4 years.
I envision this river tank ecosystem as a constant source of learning. We will watch tadpoles morph into frogs, and hopefully reproduce again. We will watch a variety of underwater creatures complete and renew their lifecycles. We will also study the plant life in the river tank ecosystem. I will integrate writing into these observations as we journal what we see.
I will also use the river tank as a springboard into math concepts like measurement, time, patterns, sequencing, counting, adding, and hopefully not – but probably subtracting as well. I will incorporate many opportunities to interact with books that contain information about our river tank and its inhabitants. I also look forward to our river tank providing lots of opportunities for discussion. Oral language and vocabulary building are very important parts of learning to read and write. I look forward to centering much of our learning around this magnificent resource.
The resources that I need are a river tank kit, aquarium plants, and aquarium animals.
I am so excited about the learning that will take place around such a fantastic ecosystem. I love to build on children's natural curiosities in their world. This river tank system will allow me to introduce my students to something new and wonderful, encouraging new growth in most curriculum areas.
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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. Burke and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.