Mr. Wright's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 4

• Making it Tactile: From Optics to Evolution

  Funded May 5, 2010

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to our class. The addition of the light box and chemicals brought our recent optics unit to the next level. Thanks the light box, the students were able to directly explore the behavior of light as it passed through lenses, and with the chemicals, they actually did the experiments behind the creation of black and white film. This has been by far the most engaging unit that the students have done, and now they are using the cameras to illustrate a book that they are creating on the history and vision of their school district, one of the first Native American Controlled districts in the nation.

  Some of the dissection supplies have also been put to use in this unit, as we took physics into the biology realm, dissecting eyes and exploring the analogy between the eye and the camera. Now we are expanding off of the questions raised about color as we look into the optical science behind telecommunication and fiber optics.

  Lastly, the specimens are the one portion of your gift that is yet unused, waiting in tantalizing display for biology next semester. The students are unquestionably intrigued, constantly asking me about them--I absolutely can't wait to put them to use in class.

  Once again, many thanks for all of your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wright

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

• Making Our Mark: From Field Biology To A School Arboretum

  Funded Oct 1, 2009

  Thank you so much for your generous donation in support of our class botanical garden. With spring finally here, we are all very excited to be working on this project. Last semester, my biology class laid the ground work for this project, using field walks and the books you donated to select a number of plants for the botanical garden, and to describe how they are related and adapted to the desert ecosystem. This semester, our class is picking up where they left off, not only with more plant identification and research, but with designing and planning the layout and water catchment system for the garden. Within the next few weeks, we will be transplanting the plants, setting up the landscaping, and writing up the guides for each plant, including Scientific and Native names. The students are all tremendously excited to be able to apply their knowledge, and to make a lasting impact on their school. We have even decided to do a "Tree of Life" mural on the wall in the garden, which will portray the relationships amongst the plants in the garden, and other local species. I can't wait to post the pictures of the finished garden. Thanks to your support, my students will be able to proudly display their new knowledge for the community and future students to see. Your donation has made a lasting impression on them, and on our entire school.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wright

  This classroom project was brought to life by Amgen Foundation and 4 other donors.

• Exploring Light and Sound

  Funded Mar 20, 2009

  Thank you so much for your generous support of my students. The eye and camera unit has been the unquestionable highlight of the semester. Truly, all of the students were excited about this project. From experimenting with lenses and pinhole viewers, to building cameras and dissecting the eyes, even the most reluctant students were engaged. Most of them even came to school on a Saturday with their mentors so that they could do repeated photo shoots, all with easy access to our closet "darkroom." Once the students had finished their photos and interviews, we compiled a book and and had a "gallery exhibition" where nearly all the parents came to see their work. It was hear warming to see how proud the students were. After much planning, a little anxiety, and all of your invaluable support, it was inspiring to see this project come together. This truly has be an educational experience that they remember for the rest of their lives. Students from other grades are already asking when they will get to do this unit, and the English teacher and I are already working on how to make the project better for next year. Your support also prompted the local donation of more photographic supplies so that we can expand the project. We are even going to present the project at a national conference, so your support will likely echo in other classrooms as well. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to engage my students in this project; it honestly would not have happened without your support. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wright

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

• Flipping The Lens-A Native Community Documenting Itself

  Funded Nov 23, 2008

  Thank you so much for supporting our project! Both the language arts teacher and I are extremely excited about the opportunity to combine our subjects in a way that will let the students produce something that is personal and meaningful--as individuals and as a class. Your support has moved that dream from a possibility to a certainty. And just as excitingly, your support comes at a time when our entire school is looking to embrace more innovative and meaningful projects, so other teachers will be eagerly looking to our project as an inspiration. Knowing that we have such enthusiastic support from others outside the school is just one more thing that will remind us that we are doing more than a unit in science or language arts: we are using the classroom to define and share ourselves and our community. Once again, thank you so much for making this possible”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wright

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