Past projects 3
Does Sunscreen Protect my DNA?
Funded Feb 4, 2012Thank you for your kind gift! Living in Florida, sun damaged skin is a common occurrence and students understand that the suns energy can lead to a painful sunburn. However, having students make the connection between that sunburn and actually DNA damage has been challenging. With the help of your generous donations, these hands on opportunities truly helped the students make that connection and better understand why sunscreen and protective clothing should be used to prevent damage to their DNA.
Not only did your generosity help students to better understand the suns energy, it also allowed them to further strengthen their understanding of several other scientific concepts. One example would be genetics and cell reproduction. By working with yeast over time, students understood that the genes that had been mutated, allowing increased sensitivity to the sun, were passed from parent to offspring generation after generation. Another example is product testing and the importance of being an educated consumer. When we were testing different brands on sunscreen on the sun sensitive yeast, students had to research each brand and their claims. Students then formed a hypothesis on which brand would protect the yeast the best. Many students were swayed by the advertising and packaging gimmicks and cost but were surprised to find that what they always thought of as the "best" brand turned out to be the worst brand.
Thank you again for allowing students to experience science in such a way that vague, hard to understand concepts can come alive and become relevant to their everyday lives. These are the lessons that I am confident these students will remember for a life time.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Meeks
This classroom project was brought to life by Progress Energy and 3 other donors.Science + Math = A Path to the Stars
Funded Dec 30, 2011Thank you once again for funding "Science + Math = A Path to the Stars". With the supplies that you have funded, my students have been given valuable tools to help them reach for the stars. The calculators have been used numerous times throughout the year and have helped the students understand the many concepts covered this year and the class organization materials have truly made the classroom "user friendly".
The thing that I have found most amazing is how the students have reacted to the changes that your donations have had on the class. Through providing a clear and organized way of handling the transfer of papers, storage of calculators, and the improvement of the overall class appearance, students began to show more pride in the class environment and often volunteered to "clean-up" when things appeared to be getting out of order. This pride also transferred into many of the student's personal organization. When they realized how much smoother the classroom was running, they began to reorganize their own personal class notebook to make it more functional at a personal level. So thank you! Without your kindness, I may have never realized what a difference these changes could make.
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With gratitude,
Dr. Meeks
Do Plants Wear Genes?
Funded Oct 11, 2011Thank you so much for funding "Do Plants Wear Genes"! I have been truly moved by your generosity. Your donation has provided my students the opportunities to make informed and balanced decisions about how science impacts their lives through the use of a student-centered active-inquiry-based learning.
Genetics is a very abstract, difficult subject for most 7th graders to fully grasp and the activities you funded helped my students not only connect genetics to themselves, but it also reinforced the scientific method and provided connections between science and math concepts. Specifically, students used the materials provided to address multiple concepts such as Mendelian genetics, inheritance, segregation, variation and mutagenesis, influence of environmental conditions on organisms, and change over time. Learning these concepts using inquiry-based activities that emphasize problem-solving skills has ensured a lasting and holistic understanding of genetics for my students.
Once again, thank you, your donation will allow me to integrate the activities into my yearly curriculum thus impacting students for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Meeks