STEM Industry Partner Rapid Response & Resilience Sponsorship
Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students
During school closures, a lack of equal access to basic materials at home prevented many teachers from even attempting to lead new science lessons. As schools prepare for reopening this Fall, whether students are in a classroom or learning from home, they will need access to INDIVIDUAL rather than shared sets of basic science materials in order for experimentation, exploration, and discovery learning experiences to continue.
To address this urgent need, Community Resources for Science will create and distribute grade specific “science go kits” so that elementary teachers and scientists from the Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students program can lead exciting, engaging, hands-on science and engineering lessons for young learners.
Go Science Kits: Sponsorship Levels
To ensure teachers can plan robust, authentic science learning experiences when school resumes this Fall, CRS will provide grade-level specific Go Science kits for as many students as possible.
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Priority will be given to teachers serving low-income, underrepresented, and English language learner families, and to teachers who participate in science professional development through CRS.
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Kits will also be provided so students can participate fully in Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students (BASIS) science outreach lessons, presented virtually (live via video-conference, as well as through videos on demand) from scientists and engineers from industry partners and UC Berkeley.
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Material kits will allow teachers and scientists to confidently lead young learners in lessons that tap into their curiosity, ignite wonder, and engage children in the authentic practices of science and engineering as they build understanding of the world they live in.
Go Science kits will average $25 per student. Go Science kits for each grade level will contain science supplies and materials to support learning experiences throughout the year, aligned to standards below.
BASIS lesson-specific kits will average $10 per student.
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CRS Tax ID: 94-3262587 Contact: Teresa Barnett teresa@crscience.org
| Meteorite | Comet | Moon | Planet | Star | Galaxy |
| $1,000 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| BASIS Kits
4 Classes 100 Kids |
Go Science Kits
4 Classes 100 Kids |
BASIS Kits
20 Classes 400 Kids |
Go Science Kits & BASIS Kits
1 Entire School 300+ Kids |
BASIS Kits
60 Classes 1,200 Kids |
Go Science Kits
1 Entire Grade, BUSD 700+ Kids |
Science teaching and learning for California’s 6 million K-12 students has been making strong improvement in recent years, but these hard-earned gains in engaging children in meaningful investigations to understand the world they live in are now in danger of being lost in the COVID scramble.
Even as the world is looking to health researchers, scientists, and engineers to solve the many mysteries and challenges posed by the coronavirus, there are signs that the budgets and school reopening plans being shaped right now may fail to recognize science as part of the academic core. To meet this moment, as a matter of educational equity, school leaders, parents, and the business community must ensure that science is not once again pushed aside in schools.
Not every kid will grow up to be a rocket scientist, but every kid deserves to gain the scientific literacy they will need to be ready for a wide range of jobs of the future and to be informed citizens. Well-designed science lessons empower children to explore questions that arise from their emerging observation and understanding of the world they live in.
Just imagine:
Ms. Cordoza is preparing to lead her 3rd grade students in a unit exploring the concept that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support their survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. For one lesson, students will closely observe, dissect, and sketch the parts of plants (roots, stems, petals, seeds). This powerful learning experience allows all children, including those who are learning English as a second language and those who may be struggling to read at grade level, to be successful in sharing their ideas, building knowledge, and putting their emerging language arts skills to practice on a task that is interesting and related to their own lived experiences. But to participate in the learning activity, every student will need materials such as a science notebook, colored pencils, tape, magnifying glass, and scissors. Ms. Cordoza can confidently plan and lead this lesson because she knows the 12 children sitting in her classroom, and the 12 children participating via Zoom from home, each has a CRS-provided Go Science Kit with the necessary supplies. She has assigned as homework before the lesson for every student to collect some plant samples – from the schoolyard, their neighborhood, or a local park, so they will be examining something they selected and they will be an “expert” on their plant when it comes time for science discussions with their classmates.
| Grade | Earth Science | Life Science | Physical Science | Engineering |
| 3rd | Weather and Climate | Life Cycles and Heredity in Plants and Animals | Forces: Motion and Stability | Engineering Design |
| 4th | Processes that Shape the Earth | Structure, Function, and Information Processing | Energy, Light Waves | Engineering Design |
| 5th | Earth’s Systems Space: Stars & Solar Systems | Matter & Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems | Structure and Properties of Matter | Engineering Design |