Past projects 22
Kindness Rocks
Funded Aug 17, 2017Thank you so much for your donation. The students came today for orientation and I shared with them the exciting news about this project idea. All of them were very excited. One girl in particular who loves art was VERY excited about the idea and asked when we could start. The students thought that this would be a good way to spread encouragement and inspiration in a very low key way. They noted that sometimes people don't want to talk about their problems, so this is a good way to help them.
The buckets are going to really help organize my classroom and I am hoping that will lead students to be more inclined to browse the library!
Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Science Classroom Renovation!
Funded Jan 19, 2017My students were so excited when we received our supplies! They crowded around the bat and had many questions about its role in the environment. What does it eat? Where does it live? Many of them had never seen an animal up close and it was a delight to see them inspect all of its body parts!
They were very excited about the terrariums. They wanted to start creating their dioramas right away.
Thanks again for your donation to our classroom! These resources will be used for years to come and I am really appreciative of your donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Electronic Translators for our New Students!
Funded Nov 20, 2016I am so thankful to you for donating to this project. Many of our students struggle with learning the language and so this donation will enable them to get the services they need. Our students are not allowed to have phones in school and the budget is really tight to purchase additional resources. Though we have some dictionaries, we know that can be slow work. Having a translator that will enable them to be able to instantly translate their work is critical in allowing students to gain access to their education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Reading Corner for Students
Funded Aug 13, 2015My students were impressed with the new furniture. They were eager to explore the new space. Now that the books can be displayed in a way that is inviting the students are anxious to pick up the books and start to read. They have agreed to keep the space clean and neat and I have noticed that they are more careful with the books.
The students are using the space as a reading corner. When they have completed assignments they are allowed to access this space to do some reading. They will also be using the space to conduct research. One of the photos displays some of the research they have done using a book on Forensics.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Robotics from Scratch
Funded May 6, 2014This robotics set has been an incredible asset in my classroom already. I have seen an amazing response from my students in terms of their engagement in class. I am sure that as we dive even deeper into what this set has to offer, its impact will only grow. This is a resource that will improve educational outcomes for the students currently using it, as well as for the many students who will use it in coming years.
These resources have allowed me to begin to teach my students about both the engineering process and computer science. For many of them this is the first time that they have worked with any kind of computer coding system, as well as the first time that they are using the engineering design process to improve the designs both of their robots and the programs they are creating for the robots to run. And the best part is, we have barely scratched the surface of what this robotics set has to offer. We were only able to use the first three modules of the program (building the robot, moving forward and backward, and turning) this past semester, but there is so much more that those students will encounter in the coming year. They will be able to engage with new conditions and variables, learning even more about computer programming and improving their analytical problem solving skills along the way.
As I mentioned, we did not use the full capabilities of this resource in the past school year, but what we did get to do was deeply impactful. Many of my students learned a great deal even in building the base robot from the pictographic instructions. The process of reproducing an object from a picture can be a challenge, and definitely forced many of my students to use their brains in a new way. Likewise, the idea of a computer programming language that we would need to learn in order to give instructions to our robots was new for many of my students. It was a challenge that they tackled and overcame excitedly, quickly learning how to tell their robots to move forward, backward, and how much and how fast to turn. By the end they were able to program their robots to negotiate a maze set up around the desks of our classroom.
I am looking forward to being able to continue to use this resource to develop the critical thinking and engineering skills of the students at my school. This resource makes engineering approachable and exciting, lowering the barrier to entry on a subject that often seems intimidating. My long term goal is to create a robotics team at our school so that my students can engage in academic competition with other students of similar interest. This is the first step in that process, and one that I am incredibly thankful for.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 13 other donors.From Ordinary Classroom to a Public Childrens Science Museum
Funded Apr 13, 2013Your contribution to our internship is amazing. The products that have been purchased will only enhance the concepts we want to teach to the children. It will allow them to be engaged and excited about science concepts. They are products that teach about concepts that we would not have been able to otherwise teach and so they were necessary purchases.
The students are excited to add these items to our museum and to get the museum open! They have enjoyed organizing and planning for smaller children and can't wait to get started!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Everyone Deserves To Have A Quality Science Education!
Funded Mar 2, 2012Thank you so much for your contribution to our school. I have been waiting for two years to incorporate blood typing into my curriculum for Forensics. This will be a fantastic addition to the lessons, as it allows students to be able to see why blood is so important in a crime scene.
In addition the comparison slide set will allow students to view substances up close that are found in a crime scene. They can use these slides to compare to their own collections.
These materials are a wonderful addition to this exciting new course. I can not wait to use the materials with the students. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
This classroom project was brought to life by * and 7 other donors.Forensics for Real?
Funded Dec 30, 2011Your donation has enabled me as an educator to provide my students with a much more enriched activity. The fur mammal set will allow students to be able to view the differences in hair with microscopes. They will be able to interact with the evidence rather than just look at pictures. They will be able to touch the fur, perform chemical tests on it and make observations.
The entomology set will allow me to develop an entire new unit on death and decomposition. The materials will allow students to investigate how insects play a role in forensics. These materials will also be shared with the Living Environment teacher who will use the materials to demonstrate how decomposition works in the environment.
I thank you on behalf of my students and fellow colleagues. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
Forensics And Beyond!
Funded Sep 9, 2011On behalf of my students and out school I sincerely thank you for your contribution to our class room. Your donation has allowed my students to dive deeper into the world of forensics. Often the topics we cover in this course are hard to imagine unless you actually experience them. With the materials we have been able to purchase the students are now able to have that experience. They have been experimenting with the materials and have been learning a lot.
Most of my students are taking this course because they are interested in majoring in forensics once they graduate. Having a course that is fulfilling and as close to real life as possible only solidifies their commitment to this field.
Furthermore it is very exciting to see students excited about science. They are really getting into it and are genuinely thrilled about being able to conduct experiments and do the same science forensic investigators do!
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston
This classroom project was brought to life by Gap Inc. and 4 other donors.College Credit for Seniors
Funded Mar 18, 2010I can not thank you enough for your donation to our small school. You have given these students the opportunity to not only earn college credits but to feel successful in science! They are really excited about being the first class to have the opportunity to take an Advanced Placement course at our school. The curriculum that has been purchased is full of exciting projects and activities to help them learn more about environmental science. The students have even begun brainstorming projects they can do within our school community around environmental science.
Science can be a challenging subject and in NYS students only need to take three years of science to satisfy their science requirement for a diploma. So many students often do not take science their senior year, especially when they have a choice to have a shorten schedule. These students are excited about pushing themselves to a fourth year science class and many of them have already requested that AP be put on their schedules for next year. Thank you again for helping us!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Houston