Mrs. Kurz-Porretto's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 40

• Rigorous & Engaging Science Activities that Empower Independent Thinking!

  Funded Dec 5, 2024

  Thank you so much for the donation of a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card. This gift has allowed me to purchase updated and relevant resources for our virtual and in-classroom instruction. These resources have provided our students with real world connections and current interactive lab activities that will support all our ongoing investigations in our classroom. Curiosity and access to technology is the key to our success as productive Americans.

  Our middle school science students have already completed many of the activities provided in the interactive lab activities that I purchased from the Teachers Pay Teachers website and it is also helping to support their data collection for their science inquiry projects.

  Having these resources not only allows us to access the most current information we need to support our projects but it also supports their scientific literacy which aligns with the new Common Core State Standards.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

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

• Dissecting & Discovery Doctors!

  Funded Jul 31, 2024

  We are so grateful for the donation of the frogs for dissection! This gift has provided our students with real world connections to our current research that we are investigating in our science classroom.

  The students are currently researching the interdependence of animals and plants in the environment. They began dissecting frogs to further study the predator-prey relationships in an ecosystem and to dig deeper into the anatomy and physiology of animals. Having actual "Hands-on" frogs to dissect, examine, explore and identify internal and external structures using the provided tools & charts were vital in completing the lab investigation. Students also investigated the skeletal structures of the frog they dissected to do a comparative anatomy study of a frog to a human. They also observed external structures to discuss the adaptations a frog possesses to increase/benefit its survival in their environment.

  The 8th grade science students were so excited to receive such a generous donation and thoroughly enjoyed this lab activity. They will remember this experience for years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

• Learning With Laptops to Enhance Our STEM Investigations & Inquiry!

  Funded Mar 3, 2024

  On behalf of my students and myself, I want to thank you for your generous donation of a Chromebook. This gift will provide our students with real world connections to current research that will support all our ongoing investigations in our classroom. Curiosity and access to technology is the key to our success as productive Americans.

  The students have already used the Chromebook to research information on renewable and non-renewable resources, as we begin our next unit of study. We are starting a STEM project which includes brainstorming and designing solutions to help reduce our carbon footprint on our Earth to prevent further climate change. This unit involves a "hands-on" investigation that also requires researching information from an "engineers" perspective, and is supported by scientific literacy which aligns with the new Common Core State Standards. Having this Chromebook allows us to access the most current information we need to support our project.

  Thank you so much for your generous donation. We can't express enough how much this means to our classroom. This Chromebook will be used by many science students this year and years to come. Our students have a strong desire to learn about our world and the ways that STEM ideas come to life. It is so heart-warming that people like you truly care about the students and their goals and aspirations.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

• Investigating and Supporting Science Concepts With a Chromebook!

  Funded Feb 28, 2024

  We are so grateful for the donation of a Chromebook! This gift has provided our students with real world connections to current research that will support all our ongoing investigations in our classroom. Curiosity and access to technology is the key to our success as productive Americans.

  The students have already used the Chromebook to research information on the interdependence of animals and plants in the environment. They began dissecting owl pellets to further study the predator-prey relationships in an ecosystem. Having research available at our fingertips was vital in completing the lab investigation. Students were also able to look up the skeletal structures of various prey to do a comparative anatomy study of an owl's diet.

  Having this Chromebook allows us to access the most current information we need to support our project. It also supports scientific literacy which aligns with the new Common Core State Standards.

  Thank you so much for your generous donation. We can't express enough how much this means to our classroom. This Chromebook will be used by many science students this year and in years to come. Our students have a strong desire to learn about our world and the ways that STEM ideas come to life. It is so heart-warming that people like you truly care about the students and their goals and aspirations.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

• Rigorous & Engaging Science Activities that Empower Independent Thinking!

  Funded Nov 16, 2023

  Thank you so much for the donation of a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card. This gift has allowed me to purchase updated and relevant resources for our virtual and in-classroom instruction. These resources have provided our students with real world connections and current interactive lab activities that will support all our ongoing investigations in our classroom. Curiosity and access to technology is the key to our success as productive Americans.

  Our middle school science students have already completed many of the activities provided in the interactive lab activities that I purchased from the Teachers Pay Teachers website and it is also helping to support their data collection for their science inquiry projects.

  Having these resources not only allows us to access the most current information we need to support our projects but it also supports their scientific literacy which aligns with the new Common Core State Standards.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

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

• Dissecting Doctors!

  Funded Aug 23, 2023

  We are so grateful for the donation of the frogs for dissection! This gift has provided our students with real world connections to our current research that we are investigating in our science classroom.

  The students are currently researching the interdependence of animals and plants in the environment. They began dissecting frogs to further study the predator-prey relationships in an ecosystem and to dig deeper into the anatomy and physiology of animals. Having actual "Hands-on" frogs to dissect, examine, explore and identify internal and external structures using the provided tools & charts were vital in completing the lab investigation. Students also investigated the skeletal structures of the frog they dissected to do a comparative anatomy study of a frog to a human. They also observed external structures to discuss the adaptations a frog possesses to increase/benefit its survival in their environment.

  The 8th grade Living Environment regents science students were so excited to receive such a generous donation and thoroughly enjoyed this lab activity. They will remember this experience for years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

• Engage and Inspire Students with Virtual Reality Science Style!!

  Funded Jan 25, 2022

  On behalf of my students and myself, I want to thank you for your generous donation of an Oculus Virtual Reality headset because it is an effective learning tool that helped to improve science understanding because students perceive themselves as being inside the proposed setting such as the solar system or in a dissection lab . This gift provided our students with real world connections to our current research that will support all our ongoing investigations in our classroom. Curiosity and access to technology is the key to our success as productive Americans.

  The students have already used the Oculus technology to explore our solar system as we begin our next unit of study. We are starting a STEM project which includes exploring Newton's laws of motion and investigating factors that affect the aerodynamics of a rocket or satellites that are launched into space to learn about our universe. This unit involves a "hands-on" investigation that also requires researching information from an engineers perspective, and is supported by scientific literacy which aligns with the new Common Core State Standards. Having this Oculus allowed our students to really understand the importance of engineering and technology design that is needed to explore beyond our planet. This tool has also enabled students to participate in virtual dissection lab while exploring anatomy and physiology of living things by immersing themselves as a surgeon in a hospital setting.

  Thank you so much for your generous donation. We can't express enough how much this means to our classroom. This Oculus virtual reality technology will be used by many science students this year and years to come. Our students have a strong desire to learn about our world and the ways that STEM ideas come to life. It is so heart-warming that people like you truly care about the students and their goals and aspirations.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto

• Dissecting Doctors!

  Funded Jan 25, 2022

  We are so grateful for the donation of the frogs for dissection! This gift has provided our students with real world connections to our current research that we are investigating in our science classroom.

  The students are currently researching the interdependence of animals and plants in the environment. They began dissecting frogs to further study the predator-prey relationships in an ecosystem and to dig deeper into the anatomy and physiology of animals. Having actual "Hands-on" frogs to dissect, examine, explore and identify internal and external structures using the provided tools & charts were vital in completing the lab investigation. Students also investigated the skeletal structures of the frog they dissected to do a comparative anatomy study of a frog to a human. They also observed external structures to discuss the adaptations a frog possesses to increase/benefit its survival in their environment.

  The 8th grade science students were so excited to receive such a generous donation and thoroughly enjoyed this lab activity. They will remember this experience for years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kurz-Porretto