William Butler Yeats said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." This quote is the focus of my teaching philosophy. I think my science classroom comes alive for students because their experience in my room is real, engaging, hands-on and meaningful.
I am pleased to offer a new high school science elective, Material Science, to a group of 29 juniors and seniors this year.
These students face hardships daily but they are bright, motivated and enjoy learning new ideas. The nature of this new chemistry-based class has lead us to explore metals, polymers, crystals and composite materials.
My high school is very rural and has about 300 students, 9th - 12th grade. Students at my school come from very low-income households and the majority are on free/reduced lunch. But the school is at the heart of our community and there is a sense of school pride throughout the community.
My Project
The central lobby area of my school has 7" x 7" brick tiles. I'd like my students to create individual ELEMENT TILES in order to construct an 18' wide GIANT periodic table. The tiles would be adhered to the brick.
The students in my elective Material Science class have just studied a variety of polymers (from packing peanuts to the baby diaper polymer, sodium polyacrylate) and the tiles would be made out of Crayola's Model Magic polymer. This polymer is inexpensive and much lighter than clay. Additionally, it sets quickly and can be painted on to create individual, one-of-a-kind pieces of 3D art that will be displayed publicly for years to come. The project will combine art and science, as students research the element of their choice and visually represent its key properties and uses.
This project will generate excitement and curiosity about the science and learning happening at our high school.
The element tiles and giant periodic table will be publicly displayed in a central area. This will allow parents, community members and younger students to learn more about the 100+ elements that make up everything around us.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Sherburn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
