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Goal

According to education experts, you know you are watching “great teaching” when you see students working in groups, collaborating, creating, and gaining hands-on experience. In a science classroom, this often includes labs, investigations and project-based learning. This year, with student health and safety being paramount, teachers are being challenged to rethink how collaborative learning will occur. Many teachers will start the school year with desks in rows, students facing the same direction and an edict that prevents students from sharing materials. These circumstances create a type of learning environment our students have never experienced and if not for the health concerns, would not be acceptable. I believe with the proper equipment, creative use of indoor and outdoors spaces, District provided technology and creative scheduling, students will still be able to partake in “great learning” during these unprecedented time. We just need your help to make it happen.
The goal of this grant is to be able to purchase equipment and furniture that will ensure my students collaborate, complete labs and have hand-on learning experiences, despite the safety constraints that have been instituted and then continue to benefit from these new learning strategies beyond our current health crisis.
 

What will be done with my students

Since becoming a science teacher, my weekly lesson plans have included 2-3 labs/investigations for students to complete. As a result, in my classroom, there has always been constant movement, sharing, and often the oh’s and ah’s that let me know my students were seeing science in action and mastering it. My belief that science is best learned when it is connected to real world problem solving and hands-on experiences has been long supported by my students’ engagement, personal growth and strong test scores. It is crucial to maintain those same standards this year, despite the challenges we are facing.
The first issue to be tackled this year is how students will complete hands-on labs when they can’t share equipment or work face to face. The answer is in the very scientific method I teach and preach every year. We know good science is replicable and reliable, meaning that if the procedure to an experiment is clear, everyone should be able to do it the exact same way and obtain the same results. This year, instead of a lab consisting of 5 groups of students repeating multiple trials of the same experiment and comparing results, I will have 5 students each perform 1 trial the exact same way, post their results digitally and discuss their results and the meaning of any deviations, virtually. There will be multiple benefits to this methodology. Individual students will be more vested in their results, and therefore use more care following procedures, collecting data, and they will analyze the variations/deviations they find in their results more deeply. This will result in greater engagement as well as a greater grasp of the scientific method, the importance of which cannot be overstated.
The second issue to be tackled this year is how to provide my students with sufficient work areas to complete experimental trials individually and safely. To accommodate this, I believe standing laptop desks with wheels are the best option. This will allow students to work independently, maintain social distancing practices and when the weather allows, take lab work outdoors. I am fortunate that my classroom allows sufficient space to use standing and rolling desks effectively, while meeting District safety guidelines. These desks will also allow for flexible seating and group work once we can return to our educational norm. This coupled with staggering which classes perform experiments on different days will allow me to clean, sanitize and guarantee the materials my students are using will be safe.
The last challenge I will be facing this year will be the amount of lab equipment necessary to run individual trials as I have laid out above. Scales, beakers, graduated cylinders, test tubes and the like are used daily in hand-on labs. In the past, one class might have been able to use and share 6 breakers. Now that same class will need 18 beakers.
 

Benefits to my students

We all want students to be able to experience great learning this year, while staying safe and healthy. Despite the onset of a global pandemic, how children learn has not changed. They still need to work out real world problems through hands-on learning. My students will have that opportunity weekly as they work on lab trials individually then collaborate, compare and discuss results virtually. This new procedure will also ensure that data analysis, lab reports synthesis and peer review are completed more thoroughly. These skills will prepare my students for future science classes, ensure they understand how scientist work in the real world, and attain mastery of the Florida Science Standards that focus on the scientific method and nature of science.  

Budget Narrative

Item 1 - 10 Digital Scales – @11.99 each https://www.amazon.com/Accuracy-Personal-Nutrition-Back-Lit-Portable/dp/B07L92G6CF/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=small+digital+scales&qid=1596218508&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVUpWWkNJMUo1U01KJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODYxMzEwUE1CWDFIOVBNMTRPJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwOTc2ODExT0tIUTVFVllPUlExJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Item 2. 10 Graduated Cylinders - $7.99 each set https://www.amazon.com/Measuring-Cylinder-100ml-Polypropylene-Autoclavable/dp/B00AITZUMQ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=small+graduated+cylinders&qid=1596215363&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySjhWNENVTU44ME03JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDAzMjI5MTJLSkgyS1RFUThHUSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTA2NzA1MkRXWDY0VzZIN1FBTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Item 3 - 4 Glass Beakers set of 4 - 12.79 each set https://www.amazon.com/Labvida-Griffin-Vol-500ml-Borosilicate-Graduation/dp/B085FXMYPL/ref=sr_1_23?dchild=1&keywords=small+beakers&qid=1596215631&sr=8-23

Item 4 - 3 Funnels Set of 6 - $10.99 each set https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Funnels-Kitchen-Handles-Set/dp/B07H9SP5PD/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=small+funnels&qid=1596215838&sr=8-14

Item 5 - 2 Sets of 10 Test Tube Clamps - $14.93 each set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V731Y4N/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFKMTVSQUlUTVFZODkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MzExMjcyVDhBM1AzSEhFMFhIJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1NzkzNzcyRVhENEpYMTJNNjBWJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsMiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Item 6 - 2 Sets of 13 piece stainless steel scoop/spatula - $11.99 each set https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Spatula-Reagent-Laboratory-Sampling/dp/B07HHWCNB9/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/144-1634034-1243836?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07HHWCNB9&pd_rd_r=316cbfa1-b48d-4940-b7c1-423a5bcbb595&pd_rd_w=ManBt&pd_rd_wg=Sj8wx&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=R5CCRKSWXFA3FRT4WCT3&psc=1&refRID=R5CCRKSWXFA3FRT4WCT3

Item 7 - 2 sets of Glass Test Tubes with Rubber Stoppers - $10.49 each set https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Tubes-Rubber-Stoppers-150mm/dp/B07C76KNMF/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=test+tubes+glass&qid=1596216904&s=industrial&sr=1-9

Item 8 - 6 Magnetic Stirring Plates https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-stirrer-magnetic-Stirring-Capacity/dp/B072K24X5P/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Item 9 - 12 Standing Laptop Desks with Wheels @ 57.99 each https://www.amazon.com/Super-Deal-giratoria-ajustable-inclinable/dp/B074DW45G8/ref=sr_1_32?dchild=1&keywords=standing+laptop+desk+with+wheels&qid=1596217866&sr=8-32
 

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