Past projects 9
Document Cameras Needed to Enhance Distance Instruction!
Funded Aug 11, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation towards my project, which requested funds to purchase tablets for use during distance learning. Having a tablet to use at home has greatly added to my virtual teaching abilities and that of my co-workers.
Schools have been closed for almost a full year now, and teachers have been working hard to modify our regular lessons to be effective and engaging online. In science, it is very helpful for teachers to be able to model processes like completing Punnett Squares, solving chemical problems, or even just to annotate diagrams. While you can do this with a cursor, it is clumsy and sloppy.
Since receiving the tablet, I have used it to annotate food chains and webs, draw biochemical molecules, and model solving Punnett Squares. My colleagues have used it to model balancing equations and drawing molecular diagrams. I know that our students really appreciate the new abilities that the tablets have brought us, and we are all very thankful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Bring Neurotransmission to Life!
Funded Jan 16, 2020Thank you so much for your very generous donations to my materials request. After teaching IB Biology for many years, I am always looking for ways to make understanding complex biochemical properties easier for my students. Visualizing the processes of resting and action potentials in neurons can be very difficult, even after showing animations and giving multiple explanations. I have always found that manipulatives are one of the most valuable resources in the classroom, so when I saw these available on Carolina supply, I thought they would be an excellent addition to my lesson plans.
I got to use these materials today, to help my senior students better understand how the movement in ions across neuron membranes is related to maintaining charge differences. They had so much fun using the materials and shared that they found them very helpful. I can't wait to continue using these for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Help Bring Cells to Life for Special Ed Students!
Funded Dec 24, 2017Thank you so much for your generous contributions towards the new microscope for my classroom. I had already received a microscope with tablet in a previous DonorsChoose project, and immediately realized how much a second would be needed in my classroom. I teach a wide range of students, with varying abilities, both intellectual and physical. Using a microscope is a scientific task that is exciting for all students. This makes it difficult when some of my physically impaired students are unable to participate in microscope activities.
I have used the tablet microscope in both my advanced IB Biology class and in my on-level inclusion classes. In IB, students were able to observe simulated urine samples for the presence of calcium crystals (indicators of a disease). Instead of having to squint through the small hole of a typical microscope, they could take snapshots of what they were seeing on the tablet and see the crystals much more clearly! In my on-level inclusion classes, students were able to view different cell types so that they could draw and label them. Two students, one with vision impairment, and one with cerebral palsy, were able to use a microscope for the first time, and were thrilled. I think you will find those pictures especially moving.
Thank you again so much. My students and I are very grateful for your donation. I can't wait to use this microscope more in the future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Diversity: What Makes Us Unique?
Funded Dec 30, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donations towards my classroom project. Meiosis, a process leading to genetic diversity, is always a challenging concept for students to learn. It requires a lot of visualization, and the process is much more understandable when taught through the use of visuals and manipulatives.
My students were very excited and engaged when they got to use these new materials in a lab activity about Meiosis. At first, the idea of using socks confused them, but by the end, they expressed that the sock models were very helpful! I used the bead models in my advanced class, and they also expressed that the colors and manipulation of pieces really helped them to better understand the processes involved in Meiosis.
We all really appreciate your generosity, and I am so looking forward for using these manipulatives for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Help Bring Cells to Life for Special Ed Students!
Funded Jul 15, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you so much for your generous donations towards my microscope request. Using microscopes to examine the unseen world is one of many exciting activities that students participate in while enrolled in Biology. Microscopes allow students to see so many of the cells and other structures that we discuss in class, and have the ability to engage even the most reluctant students.
In the attached pictures, you can see how much your donations helped me to enhance my lessons. The first set of pictures is probably the most moving. At the high school where I work, we have a high population of special education students. Many of these students have disabilities which have prevented them from using microscopes in the past. You can imagine how that must have made them feel. In Biology, one of the activities that we complete requires that students observe various specialized cells, including blood cells, neurons, and muscle cells. Thanks to your donations, some of the students who had previously been unable to participate, were able to observe cells on the tablet screen. They were SO excited.
The next set of pictures shows how I was able to use the microscope in my advanced IB Biology course. We completed a stomatal peel, in which students were were able to create impressions of leaves, create their own slides, and observe the images on the tablet screen. This is so much easier than looking through the small eyepiece of the microscope. Many of these students are 'future scientists' and could not stop talking about "how cool" the new microscope was.
Thank you again for your extremely generous donations, and I cannot wait to use this new microscope in future lessons.”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Chromebooks Needed for STEM Engagement!
Funded Mar 9, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donations with led to the full funding of my Chromebook request. As we continue moving forward into a highly technological world, the expectations of technology use in the classroom increase. Our new Biology curriculum requires the use of Chromebooks weekly, and we only had one set of 28 Chromebooks to share between 6 teachers, and 10 total sections of classes. Needless to say, this makes these difficult. Your additional Chromebooks are making it easier for us to utilize the technology in classes more regularly, and make it possible for each student in a class to use their own computer. Some of our classes have 32+ students, so 28 Chromebooks just wasn't enough.
In the attached pictures, my students are working through an "HSA Olympics," in which they are working together to answer practice questions for the state test. My students were excited to hear about your donations and I couldn't be more thankful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Help Make Learning Fun and Interactive!
Funded Dec 24, 2014Thank you so much for your generous donations towards my project. The materials that were funded through your donations helped students to better understand concepts in genetics.
The students really enjoyed using the "Disorder Detective" activity boards and felt personally vested in solving the case studies of their patients. It was really cool to see! Overall, they expressed that the activity helped them to see how a karyotype works and understand chromosome number.
The board games have not been used yet, but we are using them next week to help us study and review for the state Biology exam. The students have seen them and are excited to try this new, engaging way of preparing for a test that they overall are not looking forward to.”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Help Make Reviewing Fun!
Funded Sep 4, 2014Thank you so much for your generous donations towards my classroom materials. My co-teacher, students, and I are extremely appreciative! Your generosity has helped to provide my five classes with review materials that allow them to play games which they really enjoy.
When we used the new whiteboards for the first time, the students were excited because we could work in smaller groups (due to having more materials). They also felt special being able to use brand new materials; this is a rare privilege. They asked where we got the materials and were surprised that people would donate to help them have newer materials.
This project has really helped to boost my students' mastery of material and preparation for exams. Students can now work in small groups to play one of their favorite review games and I am also able to assess how the students are doing in terms of knowledge acquisition more easily.”
With gratitude,
Ms. R
Calculators Needed For Introductory HS Science Class!
Funded Dec 31, 2013Thank you so much for your generous donations towards calculators for my classroom. My students were both surprised and touched that donors would be interested in helping us in the classroom. To quote a student: "That's really cool!"
My students will be able to use the calculators when we encounter math-based problems within our science curriculum. Unfortunately, most of the math was seen in our Chemistry unit, which has passed. However, the calculators will be incredibly valuable during final exams and state testing.
These calculators will increase the success of my students this year, and in many years to come. Working in a moderate-poverty school, I have many students who cannot afford to buy scientific calculators. They were at a large disadvantage during many of our units. Now, I can provide all students an equal opportunity to be successful because they will all have the necessary materials. I cannot express enough how valuable these calculators will be in my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. R