Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty

How many of you are Harry Potter fans, or know someone who is? How about all those millions of kids in the United States who are crazy about Harry Potter and his amazing owl, Hedwig? So don't you think this makes owls a special bridge between kids and the worlds of imagination and literature and nature and science? I certainly think it does, so of course, I think this wonderful DonorsChoose project, Who Gives a "Hoot" About Owls! is a superb classroom lesson to interest this high-poverty classroom of 120 third graders in science, nature and birds. How can we, as responsible environmentally-sensitive adults, miss this amazing opportunity to reach these kids and change their lives? This is such a superb teaching opportunity that the entire lesson practically teaches itself!

The teacher writes;

"We give a "hoot" about our students' education! My school cares about engaging students and providing them opportunities to learn. We are in a high-need, urban community which strives to meet the needs of all students. Currently, I teach third grade students from a variety of different backgrounds and academic abilities. The student population is highly transient and requires additional support from teachers and educators to provide experiences to help them be successful in school.

Students are fascinated by birds of prey, especially owls, and are eager to learn more about them. I want to develop a theme unit that expands the knowledge of third grade students, but I lack the resources to do this. We have minimal supplies in our library and science lab to support student interest.

All third grade students will have an opportunity to learn about birds of prey. Our teachers will develop a unit of study which focuses on the owl. It will integrate science and language arts. We need 14 copies of the book "Hoot" to conduct a literature study to increase students comprehension skills and background knowledge about endangered owls. Students will study owl predator/prey relationships, animal adaptations, and endangered species. Since they are eager to learn through hands-on experiences, they will need owl pellet kits to participate in dissection labs. Students will work with a partner and engage themselves in a stimulating learning environment.

Your support of this project will make it possible for 120 third grade students to gain a better understanding of animal behaviors and relationships. They will be able to study a topic they love and retain more of the information they learn about animals. Please help provide this experience for our children. You can make a positive impact on the lives of our students by supporting this project and furthering their educational interests.

I think this is a really terrific project and I wish I was one of those lucky third-graders who is going to learn about the wonders of owls for the first time in their lives, because we are going to help them get this experience!