My students need containers, rock specimens, and polarized film for a rock cycle thin section lab.
$582 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.
I teach at a Title I charter high school in Austin, Texas, which works to make college possible for low-income students. As you walk through the halls of our school, you hear the excited chatter of teenage students discussing your typical high school topics- the big game last night, prom- in both English and in Spanish.
The majority of our students are the sons and daughters of immigrants, or are immigrants themselves.
They are proud of their Hispanic heritage, and work hard to make their families and teachers proud. Many of them are working toward becoming the first in their family to graduate high school, and even more are hoping to become the first to go to college. They have been focused on these goals since they came to our school district, usually around 5th grade. Many came to our not knowing any English, and bravely conquered the fear of being unable to communicate with others at an early age. The high school students I teach are constantly navigating the sea of their own hopes and dreams, while hoping to fulfill their parents' as well.
My Project
Have you ever picked up a beautiful rock and wondered how it came to be? Do you remember the sense of awe and wonder you felt when you first looked through a microscope? Students in earth and environmental science classes rarely have the opportunity to use microscopes while they learn about the Earth. Lessons on important concepts such as the rock cycle can be hard for students to visualize.
Understanding the rock cycle allows students to fully comprehend the vastness of geologic time, understand how materials are recycled through natural processes, and develop a greater appreciation for our Earth.
Together with a local geology PhD student, I have developed a microscope-based lab for the AP Environmental Science curriculum on the rock cycle, which allows students to see rocks in a spectacular and fascinating new light! This newfound knowledge of our planet will inspire students to protect our natural resources and be champions of the environment, in the tradition of eco-friendly companies like Tom's of Maine.
This new and rigorous lab uses thin sections (microscope slides) made from 5 rock types to learn about the characteristics of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. By using polarizing filters, we can transform our standard classroom microscopes into ones similar to the petrographic microscopes used by professional geologists. We have found this lab to be very successful in the past, but require funding in order to have our own kit, rather than having to borrow one for a short period of time. We also would like to share this activity with other teachers at our school, and in the greater Austin area. Therefore, we hope to raise funds to make five kits, which we would loan out to local middle and high school science teachers free-of-charge.
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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 Ms. Henegan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
