Design and Engineering Practices in the Classroom!
My students need hands-on building tools to expand their knowledge and experience with design and engineering principals.
$419 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Give this project a boost!
A chain reaction of support starts with one share.
"Sixth grade is fun!", exclaimed my 55 students the first week of school. They come to school eager to learn, and their young inquisitive minds have so many questions every day. One group I teach is a GATE cluster, and for them, the classroom is a safe and nurturing environment where they explore ideas, talk about things that matter to them, and have their intelligence respected.
Students at my school do not have many experiences outside of their own neighborhood.
Helping them bridge the gap in their background knowledge and exposure to the bigger world of ideas is a challenge. My school is in a low income area where 82% of the student population qualifies for free breakfast and lunch. Our school also has 30% of the student population who qualify and require English Language Learner support. These future global scholars, problem solvers, and leaders have a big world beyond their neighborhood where opportunities and options await them.
My Project
With the roll-out of the Next Generation Science Standards in my district, a need for hands-on building tools has become a must. K'Nex building sets guide students by having them practice the standard of building the prototype of a working model. The sets offer challenges that students must solve with a group such as "Bridge that Gap". It's a challenge scenario where a storm has washed out a bridge and an ambulance needs to get to the other side. Students must work through the problem, plan a design, and build their bridge. K'Nex also provides students with some guiding questions about the problem and things to think about as they build.
In our new Engineering Design standards, students must work through various strategies to examine and solve a task using Science and Engineering practices used in real life.
By giving them a hands-on tool that they can manipulate, students are more connected to a task. Building K'NEX models helps children to understand subjects such as structures, forces and simple machines. Using tools such as K'Nex also helps develop skills such as innovation skills, problem-solving skills, and team-working skills.
Nearly all 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
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Betten and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
