Mrs. Borders' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 29

• To the Moon and Beyond!

  Funded Dec 31, 2013

  Thank you very much for your generous donation! We used the moon globes throughout the year and with several different units. My students analyzed the craters, used data to determine which craters formed first, and hypothesized as to impact material. The room was literally buzzing with excitement as students discussed their theories of the topography of the moon.

  The math teacher also told me how much the graphing portion of the labs (the students used coordinates) related to what they were doing in math class.

  Thank you so much for helping my students to go to the Moon and Beyond!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 7 other donors.

• Meteor Alert! High Impact Comes to Middle School!

  Funded Dec 20, 2013

  Thank you very much for your generosity in supporting, "Meteor Alert! High Impact Comes to Middle School!" It is because of you that we are able to do hands-on immersive science learning. My students are fascinated by astronomy and were so very excited about the meteor and crater experiments!

  The students learned about the moon and Earth and compared and contrasted features along with the processes that caused the features. They were fascinated to learn that both Earth and the moon have craters that are caused by similar processes, although Earth's craters are often "erased" due to weathering, plate tectonics, or ocean impact. The students were excited as they made the layers of the moon out of cocoa, flour, and sugar. The used various materials such as clay, cereal pieces, rocks, and other items to model meteorites of various shapes, sizes, and densities. After finishing the first set of trials, students changed a variable such as the drop height, angle, or speed and measured the craters caused by the impactor. The discussion continued for weeks as students hypothesized about existing craters on the moon and carried their learning into new astronomical studies. They also presented their results to each other.

  Thank you again,”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 8 other donors.

• Space to Earth: Meteor Voyage

  Funded Oct 13, 2011

  Thank you very much for the "Meteor Voyage" supplies. My class is always excited to do hands-on science investigations. They particularly enjoy space science.Students hypothesized as to the depth and shape of the crater left by various models of meteorites. Some students varied the impact angle, some varied the shape of the meteorite and some varied the composition. All had a great deal of fun combined with fully engaged learning. Students also analyzed real pictures of the moon and determined the timeline for geological events based on the pictures. Thank you very much for making this possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

• Stormy Days

  Funded Dec 27, 2010

  Thank you very much for funding "Stormy Days". As we wind down our school year, we are reflecting back on the weather and climate investigations that we have completed. Your generous donation allowed my students to investigate wind speed, temperature, the water cycle, pressure, solar energy, and much more. The students were quite excited as they built structures to withstand various speeds of wind using the fans provided. We also made mock cycles and investigated the effects of precipitation on different types of landscaping. We also extended our learning and predicted weather and climate on Mars!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and 5 other donors.

• Meteorite Modeling

  Funded Dec 24, 2010

  Thank you very much for your generosity! My students are enjoying their exploration of the solar system. We made models of meteors and asteroids, aimed them at a model lunar surface, and studied the impact sites. Since astronomy is a difficult subject to "touch" we use models of astronomical phenomena. My students studied impact angle, impact height, and shape of the meteor. We really had fun as we launched objects into the pan of flour and cocoa (lunar surface). Luckily, we did the activity outside since the ejecta pattern often went outside of the pan. Thank you again.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and 5 other donors.

• Environmental Science: Hands-on Student Investigations

  Funded Oct 13, 2010

  Thank you very for the hands-on supplies that you funded. My students were quite excited to explore environmental science through an inquiry-based series of lessons. Students designed models of natural processes, natural disasters, historical events, and more. Once their understanding of multiple environmental processes was solid, they designed solutions to environmental issues. Examples include wastewater recycling, power generators, alternative fuel, and environmental friendly systems. Thank you for being a part of our journey into environmental science.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and one other donor.

• Geological Processes--The Foundation for College Readiness

  Funded Sep 8, 2010

  Thank you very much for the rock kits. My classroom was absolutely buzzing with excitement these past few weeks. Students used magnifying glasses to examine rock specimens. They hypothesized as to the origins of the rocks as well as the processes that contributed to the formation of the rocks. They not only hypothesized, but they supported their thoughts with data from their investigations. We have started to study the four inner planets and are using our knowledge of Earth-based rocks to learn more about the make up of our neighboring planets. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and 2 other donors.

• Tectonic Fury!

  Funded Aug 29, 2010

  Thank you very much for the Tectonic Fury supplies! My students had so much fun engaging in the lab practicum. We set up stations around the room and small groups of students explored the world through the lens of plate tectonics. This type of immersive learning is so much more powerful than paper and pencil activities. They truly have a better and more complete understanding of the processes that shape our home planet. We will continue to use the materials as we explore volcanoes and geology.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and 3 other donors.

• Middle School Scientists Rock the World!

  Funded Jun 2, 2010

  Thank you so much for funding our rock cycle explorations. My classes were absolutely amazing with respect to their efforts! They examined different samples of rocks, hypothesized as to how the rocks formed, examined texture, and predicted geographic location. The students also studied tectonic processes and geological processes. As I listened to them discuss sedimentation and pressure, I knew that these supplies really brought science alive for them. We are continuing our exploration into Earth's geological processes and are making connections to the geological processes on other planets. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and one other donor.

• NASA Explorer School Solar Investigations

  Funded Sep 21, 2010

  We are in the midst of our astronomy investigations. In particular, my students are so thrilled about studying our very own star, the Sun. Students began by hypothesizing as to the structure of the Sun. We then examined 3-D models of the Sun. Students were surprised to find that the Sun actually has different layers and is dynamic.

  We also explored eclipses and seasons. There are many misconceptions about both processes. The Earth-Moon-Sun model helped students to accurately visualize both lunar and solar eclipses. They were able to manipulate the model to create eclipses. It was quite an exciting lesson! We also ordered ultraviolet beads and sunscreen since one of our items was out of stock. My students were buzzing with excitement as they predicted which substances might block ultraviolet light. They were very surprised to find out that ultraviolet light was still present on cloudy days.

  We have many more investigations planned---thanks to your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Borders

  This classroom project was brought to life by KnowHow2GO and 10 other donors.