Help me give my students the hands-on materials they require like fraction tiles and place value discs to master STEM projects. These items allow them to construct their understanding before putting their answers to 'paper and pencil.’
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Shields's classroom raised $234
This project is fully funded
My Students
The students in my classroom are not learning mathematics and science, they are doing them. Each lesson has a hands-on component that allows the students to interact in a way that provides a concrete understanding.
Our school is a first ring suburb of a large metropolitan area.
More than half of our students live in poverty and receive free or reduced-price meals. We have the highest number of refugee students in our school district and over 40 languages are spoken in the district. The students are wonderful learners, who require more than the old paper/pencil model of instruction. They want to be engaged through hands-on lessons. They need lessons that require them to be collaborative while working in teams. Each day they ask me when we are going to do the part of the lesson where we "construct our learning." The level of STEM understanding increases dramatically when they do the work with manipulatives, rather than just solve on paper. Their engagement in the lesson increases exponentially.
My Project
These materials will allow my students the ability to be engaged on a concrete level. They will enhance their science, technology, engineering, art and math lessons through a hands-on approach.
The materials requested will ensure students understand the abstract concepts as a result of the interactive engineering and math lessons.
The Magnetic-Levitating Train will be the perfect supplement to our electricity and magnetism unit of study in science. It also allows the students to study the future of transportation, while learning about the core concepts. I plan on then having the students construct their own versions in our new MakerSpace classroom. The math items will ensure they are 'doing' the concepts taught in class through a constructionist approach to teaching.
More than a third 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 Mr. Shields and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
