Student Contributor -H. Haglin
For my project, I will be collecting pop tabs off cans for the Ronald McDonald House Charity. These pop tabs go towards a great cause, they can help support families. The organization helps with providing rooms for families or finding resources to assist families. Students will be working together to collect as many pop-tabs as they can to help the families in need.
For this project, I introduced the organization by showing the class their website so students can see what they will be helping other people with. I brought in a soda can and cracked it open, I then asked if students knew what a pop-tab is. Some knew but for the ones who didn’t, I pulled off the tab from the can so they can see how they will be collecting them for the project. I showed the students how a little pop-tab can help so much through the website. I gave examples of how they can be used when given to the organization such as putting families that can’t afford much in a room while their loved ones in the hospital. The students were in awe that a little piece of aluminum can provide others with so much. I told the students that they will have about 2 weeks to collect as many pop-tabs as they can.
This project overall went alright. I don’t have many students in my classroom so it was a struggle to get students motivated to bring in pop-tabs. They also would forget to bring the pop tabs in. I don’t think they got the concept of they can collect with their families and friends as well. When I explained what we were doing, the students assured me they knew what they were supposed to be collecting and why. I had to modify the goal that I had set for students to bring in from 100 to 25. I also had to modify doing a whole-school project to just my classroom. I would give the advice of giving your students plenty of time to collect the pop tabs! I would also do it in a classroom of more than twenty kids to assure that they are able to get to the goal.
