My students need supplies for our Makerspace. We need commonly used supplies like construction paper, craft sticks, and glues, and I want to add some electronic supplies.
I want teach my students how to think, not what to think, but how to tackle a problem and come up with a solution. This concept can be difficult for them because they are used to being 'right'. I want to challenge them with problems that don't just have a 'right' answer.
I teach gifted students from K-8th grade.
We are a rural school with a little over a 1000 students total. 35.7% of our student population qualify for free or reduced lunch. We are in a area that does not have a town or city center so the school is very-much a focal point for the community.
My Project
I want to use these materials to replenish, such as glue, tape and craft stick, and expand my classroom makerspace. These materials will primary be used in my K-5 classrooms. Up until this point my makerspace has consisted of mostly found materials. These materials are great and we will continue to collect them, but we also want to expand to be able to do some more specific challenges. For example students will be able to work collaboratively to create paper circuits, roller coasters, bridges, catapults, and kaleidoscopes to name a few potential projects. We will also be able to do more open ended creative challenges. For example giving the students a couple of LED bulbs and some batteries and having them work collaboratively to create a happy city. Another example would be to create a parachute for a toy.
Makerspaces allow students to collaborate with each other to solve a problem.
They allow them to express themselves creatively and to explore areas of interest. My students need to be challenged, but they also need to learn to take responsibility for their learning and pursue their passions. I want to give them the tools that they need to start exploring.
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