Project: Oops, I Did It Again
Resources Needed: The experience of hands-on learning by seeing, interacting, observing, and researching habitats of live animals and their life cycles.
School Poverty Level: High
Location: Broadmoor Middle Laboratory School, Shreveport, Louisiana
Total Cost: $493.59
Still Needed: $121.79 COMPLETED! Please see bonus project!
Expires: Dec 06, 2013
Teacher's Comments from Mrs. Cantor:
My Students: Gross!!!! Can I touch it? ...these are the remarks my students give me when they see the live animals I keep in class. Have you ever held a millipede? Have you ever watched a frog go through metamorphosis? My students learn science by Doing.
My students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Most are from broken homes and do not get to experience a lot of stability in their life. They think of insects and animals as things to exterminate, not enjoy. I want to teach my students that ALL life has meaning. My students have never held a tarantula; fed a frog; or watched a butterfly hatch. They read about it but never experience the concept first hand. The only engagement in academics my students have is while in school. That is where I can make the greatest impact on their learning.
My Project: Students will keep a variety of habitats, in a variety of ways. They will feed, interact with, and study live animals in the classroom. They will experience the wonder of a butterfly changing or see how an earthworm can compost waste and help the soil. Science needs to be hands-on. Students need to experience and see, first hand how ALL life in nature has a role and a purpose. Having students touch gross or unusual animals and creating habitats allows them to foster their own learning and develop a love for living creatures. Students learn to care for live animals and see how important and interactive all life is on Earth. Students become more interested in Science, which leads to further study, reading, writing, etc. I want to create Future Scientists for an ever changing world.
Science doesn't seem to be important, compared to Reading and Writing but, in reality, Science is everywhere and everything!!! Without science, nothing would exist. I want to immerse my students in Science, by having them create and maintain habitats of live animals in the classroom. They will study worms, butterflies, praying mantis, ant farms, lady bugs, triops, earthworms, crickets, and others. They will get hands-on experience and see life in action. Please help me keep the interest alive.
COMPLETED!
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