My students need a variety of science materials to carry out experiments and projects related to weather, soil and plant growth and environmental science.
Students at my urban grade 6 through 12 school come from a variety of backgrounds. We are made up of over 1,000 students from the city and 40 surrounding suburbs. Our science and arts curriculum emphasize college readiness and academics. My classes are inclusive, with special education students, ELL students and regular education students all together. Most of the students receive free or reduced price lunch and are faced with many challenges both in and out of the classroom. Many come to school without the materials necessary for learning.
They are nonetheless eager learners and I try very hard to provide them with hands on and investigative experiences.
My science classes emphasize exploration, building and lab experiments. I have found this to be the best way for them to learn and very often older students will come back to visit and recall with vivid detail the adventures they had in the science classroom.
My Project
The materials I have specified for my projects will be used to increase my students' ability to think and act like scientists. The heat lamps and bulbs are used for a variety of projects and experiments related to heat transfer. They will be working to discover what kind of surfaces and earth materials heat up the most and then to use this information to better understand weather patterns and climate change. Ultimately, they will be designing heat resistant containers for sensitive materials. The thermometers are another tool necessary for them collect accurate data.
I very much want my students to not learn and think like scientists, and not only from worksheets and reading, but through hands on research and experimentation.
We are also requesting colored pencils, regular pencils, poster board and dry erase markers that will allow my students to communicate what they have learned more effectively. My students never seem to have enough of these items!
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