Past projects 3
Water Ecology Monitoring Materials
Funded Nov 30, 2023Thanks to your financial support, students have been able to get up close and personal with our local streams. Despite the frigid temps, they have been busy testing the water for pH, dissolved oxygen, and nitrates. By gathering real world data, the content has become personal to them and their world.
As an exciting real world tie in, during our Water Chemistry unit, the Environmental Protection Agency formally proposed an update to the Clean Water Act that would raise the standard for dissolved oxygen in the Philadelphia stretch of the Delaware River.
Students were able to engage with this real time in an informed way by comparing the EPA's recommendations to their data from the Pennypack Creek. Their findings? In terms of dissolved oxygen, the Pennypack is healthier than the EPA suggests it need to be. This realization helped give students a sense of pride in their neighborhood and a deeper appreciation for this natural resource in their "backyard".
Thank you again for making learning opportunities like this possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dunne
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.Nature Journaling for Student Wellness
Funded Oct 6, 2022Thank you so much for contributing to this project. My 6th grade students have been having a great time documenting their observations and thinking in their nature journals. As a teacher, it can be hard to know always what students are thinking, especially if they're naturally reserved. In these notebooks, I get to see so much of how they're seeing and processing the things around them!
Two weeks ago I created stations for students to explore organisms and artifacts found in our local forest ecosystem. At each station, students sketched the items that most intrigued them and asked questions about those items. Having these drawings and wonderings captured in their journals is now a great foundation for them to continue building their understanding from!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dunne
Bringing Nature Into Our Classroom
Funded Jul 20, 2022I hope you have been able to enjoy as much of this beautiful fall weather as my students have! Thanks to the materials provided by your generosity, my 7th and 8th graders have been able to conduct a full biological and chemical survey of the Pennypack Creek which runs behind our classroom.
They've used the lab supplies you provided to identify and observe various macroinvertebrate species and have created some beautiful drawings of their lifecycles with the art supplies. More importantly, students are being exposed to the environmental sciences in an authentic way. I've witnessed students challenging their assumptions and learning the importance of data and scientific methodology. Check out the photos to see this amazing crew in action!
We could not have started off this year without you. Middle school can be a tough season of life, but thanks to your support, these students are able to enjoy something something truly special and fun.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dunne