Mr. V.'s Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 49

• Please Help Modernize Our Chemistry Lab with Gas Sensor Probes

  Funded Nov 27, 2019

  Thank you so much for your donations to help update our Chemistry lab with computer probe units. The Gas Pressure probes connects to our desktop computers. The students are enjoying the chance to learn to operate the equipment.

  We greatly appreciate that thanks to two Donorschoose projects , we now have enough units for all our class to work in groups at the same time.

  When a gas pressure probe is plugged into the interface box, students are able to see the real-time progress of their lab experiment. In our experiments, on Boyle's Law, students can change the volume of air trapped in a syringe and then read the pressure changes as they are recorded by the computer. A graph of Pressure vs Time is then made to confirm Boyle's Law.

  The equipment you helped to purchase will benefit all my current and future high school students: General Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, & Physics. Students greatly enjoyed using the probes, they were having a contest to see who could apply the highest pressure to a sample of gas (who could compress the gas in the syringe the most).

  Now that technology is transforming college science labs, medical centers, and engineering companies, your donations have surely enabled my high school students to have opportunities to gain experience that they will need in their future schools and careers. Students are excited to use the computer linked equipment- it makes the science labs more interesting to them.

  Thanks again, we appreciate your generous support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Please Provide AP and Chemistry Students With 3D Molecular Model Sets

  Funded May 17, 2021

  My class is very thankful for your donations to purchase our 3-D molecular model sets.

  We have used these sets in classes of General Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, and AP Chemistry in person this year as we have now returned from the break. By the way- sorry that it has taken so long to complete this project, the delay was due to our 1 1/2 year COVID closure.

  Also ,another thanks- last year as I was teaching virtually online, I used the model sets to demonstrate the molecular structures.

  In one lab, student groups were given formulas of about 20 molecules (like H2O CO2 CCl4) Their assignment was to draw the Lewis dot diagram for each molecule, then to build a model of each molecule for my approval. The model had to correctly display the geometry, shape, bond angles, unique colors for each element.

  The students love the molecular model sets! These are the same types of sets I used myself in college Chemistry. These models are much more accurate than having students just build the molecules with styrofoam balls and toothpicks. These sets truly get them ready for the labs they will see in college organic chemistry.

  In fact, a future project that I will use these for is to assign my AP Chemistry students to build Organic molecules with these sets. In that lab, students will not be given the formula but only the chemical name- like "ethanoic acid" or "2-propanone" (which is acetone).

  Thanks again so much for your generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Inspire My Chemistry Students with a Computer-Linked Melt Station

  Funded May 23, 2021

  Thanks so much for your donations to purchase our class a Vernier computer linked melt station. This instrument provides my class with a true college level technological science experience. The students reacted with excitement in learning to operate the equipment. They did tell me that it took some difficulty to learn to set up the equipment, but now all appears to be working correctly.

  As an initial lab experiment, I gave the students three different organic solid compound substances - some of polar molecules, some non polar molecules, and some that are polar molecules with hydrogen bonding. Each student group took samples of the solid chemicals into small glass capillary tubes, then heated the solids while watching through the melt station's watchglass.

  In our first lab, the students compared their melt station observed melting points with the actual melting point values They found the technology to be consistent with the actual accepted scientific values. (e.g. fructose 103°C and Vitamin C 192°C).

  In the future I plan to assign student groups different substances, some unknown to them, to melt and to have them explain why different chemicals have differing melting points based on their Lewis structures and intermolecular forces.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Help Donate Student Lab Camera to Observe Microscale Chemistry Experiments

  Funded Jul 29, 2020

  Thanks so much for providing the experiment camera! This may end up being an even greater assistance than I initially imagined, perhaps I will now be able to use it with online lessons & distance learning too. I will keep you posted later in the year once we receive and can use it. Thank you so much!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

• Please Provide Hoffman(Apparatus) For Chemistry Students To Observe Electrolysis

  Funded May 18, 2020

  Thank you so much! We will greatly enjoy the Hoffman apparatus - an amazing instrument that allows students to watch electrolysis and to see hydrogen gas and oxygen gas produced right before their eyes. Advanced students will appreciate being able to see a real "redox" reaction that corresponds to the equations they write on paper. I look forward to using it and updating you next semester once schools have reopened. Thanks again,”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

• Can You Help Modernize Our Lab, Reaching All Chemistry/Physics Students?

  Funded May 7, 2019

  Thank you so much for your donations. In the past 10 years, I have been trying to modernize my Chemistry and Physics labs by adding in Vernier computer probe technology. Four years ago, a local university donated iMac computers to the classroom (as you can see in the photos). The probes attach to these computers.

  From previous donations, we now have enough equipment for each student group to have a temperature probe and a pH probe for each computer. These probes function much in the same way that digital thermometers in doctors offices function.

  Now, thanks to your donations, we increased the probeware so that even more lab groups now also have gas pressure sensors, force sensors, and voltage probes.

  In some of the photos, you can see students performing a simple Boyle's Law activity. A gas syringe is attached to the computer; as the volume is changed, students record how the pressure varies. This information can later be graphed to see if the curve is in agreement with Boyle's law.

  In other photos, students are performing a Physics activity to see how measured weight force agrees with attaches masses.

  Finally, in two other photos, students investigated electrical voltage by creating a battery from an orange and several different metals: aluminum, zinc, iron, and copper. By attaching the electrodes to any two different metals, students are able to produce differing voltages. Students can analyze their data to see which combinations produce the greatest voltage and create an electrochemical series from their experimental data to see if it is in agreement with Faraday's.

  The students are enjoying the computer probes. They are asking me to give them more labs soon!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Please Provide Our Lab a Giant Molecular Model Demonstration Kit

  Funded May 13, 2019

  We greatly appreciate your donations to purchase the giant molecular model set for the students.

  Most students have seen smaller, individual molecular model sets in Biology class, so they were surprised to see the giant set. In Chemistry, it is important that students can clearly see the geometry of the model to understand the angles and shape. So far, the greatest benefit of the set has been to assist in introducing the geometric shapes of the molecules.

  For example, I am able to show students a model of a tetrahedral molecule. Most students would mistakenly think that a molecule like methane, CH4, would contain four H hydrogen atoms surrounding the C carbon in a cross, or X-arrangement. But with the set, students can see that the molecule actually looks more like a tripod.

  My students still have much to learn and practice to develop their model-building skills, but I have some ideas of how they can utilize this set in the future.

  One great assistance will be for students to use the model set in class group presentations. As a final project in the unit, I plan to assign each group a different molecule and then assign each to draw the Lewis diagram, build the model, and explain the molecule's properties (shape, polarity, estimation of relative boiling point/freezing point etc) to the class.

  Thanks so much for this great Chemistry class tool!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

  This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 2 other donors.

• Help Provide Class Projector for Science Computer Labs

  Funded Dec 31, 2018

  Thank you for your donations to purchase the projector for our Chemistry lab classroom. From the photos that have been posted, you can see that an immediate usage is that a projector helps to hold students attention attention visually in class as diagrams or videos are projected onto the screen at the front of class. But this use is of course not unique to just a science or Chemistry class.

  The greatest benefit for our Chemistry lab, and my greatest hope that has been fulfilled is that student groups are now able to view the live screen of a laptop computer while a computer technology lab is being conducted.

  In the past years, thanks to Donorschoose grants and a local university donation, we have been able to acquire both iMac computers and Chemistry computer probes to use during lab experiments. Each student group can work at a computer and measure pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, pressure, and light wavelengths through several probes that we have received. You can see in the photo that it is much easier to project a laptop screen onto the wall while students watch. That way, students can be instructed and immediately emulate the same thing on their own computer. This saves the instructor time- there is no longer a need to walk around to each computer to instruct individual groups.

  Thanks so much. Students love being able to use the probes and the software in connection with the projector. We have been able to perform lessons and AP Chemistry labs on colorimetry (Beer's law) which has been the class favorite, as well as temperature/calorimetry experiments, and acid/base pH titration mixtures. We greatly appreciate your contribution!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Expand Our Growing Chemistry/Physics Computer Lab to Reach All Students

  Funded May 17, 2018

  Thank you for your contribution to purchase science probes for our expanding computer lab. Thanks to DonorsChoose, over the past 9 years we have been able to acquire computer lab equipment for our Chemistry and Physics students to use in experiments.

  Your contribution purchased voltage probes and temperature probes for my students.

  The temperature lab probe connects to a computer much like the thermometers that doctors offices use. Now, we have enough thermometers for 15 lab stations, so that all students can participate in labs simultaneously. Since temperature measurements are required in most experiments, we have been able to use the temperature probes in many experiments like, "Determining the Specific Heat of a Metal (for both Chemistry and Physics) ", "Determining the Heat of Neutralization for an Acid-Base Reaction (for AP Chemistry) ", "Determination of the Freezing points of Pure Substances vs Mixtures (for AP Chemistry) ", and "Molar Volume/Density of Gases (For General, Honors, & AP Chemistry)". Students are motivated when they get to use the computer probes. The temperature probes even give them experience with reading and interpreting graphs drawn on the computer screen.

  However, besides the temperature probes, the voltage probes were the primary items purchased in this donation. The voltage probes look like two tiny jumper cables – one clamp is red (negative) and the other is black (position). When connected to different ends of a battery, these probes can measure the exact voltage of the battery. We measured the voltage of a AA battery and found the voltage was very close to 1.5 volts (as advertised).

  More interestingly, the voltage probes allow students to create and measure simple "batteries" from chemicals and metals. Students were very impressed to use the voltage probes, they were surprised to see that electricity can be generated simply by inserting two different metals into an orange. In the experiment pictured in the photos, students inserted different metals- aluminum, iron, zinc, copper, and lead- into an orange. Then they connected the voltage probe positive and negative clamps to two different metals. Next, students recorded the different voltages produced to rank the metals in terms of electrochemical activity. (Zinc and copper produced the highest voltage in the orange – of 0.800 volts, almost 1 volt.

  There are several other labs that I plan to do later this year. An AP Chemistry Lab that I look forward to presenting is "Investigating and Comparing Electrochemical Cells."

  Before this year, I never had enough voltage probes for an entire class to participate in the experiment at the same time. Finally, we have the equipment for all students to run that experiment for all students simultaneously.

  Once again, thank you! We greatly appreciate your generous contribution. Our public school would not be able to have modernized computerized science lab without donations from people like you! With your contributions to our growing labs, we are able to offer students with opportunities to use technology in their science labs that will prepare them for the instrumentation they will use in college and in science careers.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

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

• Can You Please Help Our Physics Lab Receive Force Probes?

  Funded Sep 2, 2018

  Thank you so much for helping us improve our computer science probe lab. From your contribution, the force sensor probes we received have been great tools to help modernize the Physics and Chemistry lab experience for my students and to motivate their interest in further studying science.

  In the past year, I have used the sensor probes in my Physics classes for several lessons

  Namely 1) Hooke's Law (investigating springs and determining the spring constant)

  and 2) Inclined Planes and Friction (determining the coefficients of friction for objects on an inclined plane). Currently I have been using the new probes for my Chemistry classes as well. The probes can actually be set up as a scale to weigh objects (as shown in the photos). My students were impressed and excited to test out the equipment. I was surprised to see how quickly they could learn and adapt to operate the computer software.

  One student even showed me a simple way to "zero" the balance. I hope to encourage them to study Physics next year and to strongly consider pursuing college and careers in science.

  As I usually write in my grant requests, my goal is to gain enough computerized science probe equipment so that every student in my classroom will simultaneously be able to gain experience in modern technological science lab equipment. Instead of using only simple thermometers, pH meters, or force (spring) scales, I want all students to be able to use computerized probe equipment in their future Chemistry and Physics labs.

  Here is where we currently are in terms of our computer probe lab. Last year, our science lab room received a donation of 20 used computers from a local university. It is taking much time, but most computers are now updated and configured to work with the Vernier probes that we have received. Right now, we have a total of 4 force probes to use with our computer lab. So we are able to perform force probe labs for 12-16 students simultaneously. Our next steps are to continue to search for funding as we still hope to receive about 8 more force units, then our the entire class will be able to participate in the lab at the same time.

  Again, thank you for your generous contribution. Our public school would not be able to have modernized computerized science lab without donations from people like you!

  Personally I am so pleased to be able to offer students with opportunities to use technology in their science labs that will prepare them for the instrumentation they will use in college and in science careers.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. V.

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.