Ms. Davis' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Up and Away!

  Funded Nov 22, 2024

  The resources you have provided have become a backbone to the understanding of my students through their own exploration and provided a sense that they are not limited and can, instead, try, fail, and try again. Through topics like projectile motion and free fall, they have been developing their understanding through reading, practicing, and constructing. They have circled back to these ideas and materials to combine their understanding as they learned about impulse, momentum, and energy. These resources have been invaluable.

  We are moving forward with the ideas around energy and its conservation by making paper roller coasters for marble "coasters". They are already abuzz with ideas and drawing on their experiences at amusement parks. They are even thinking about modifications that would allow them to revisit the materials you have provided to make their concept of a "HEROLAND Amusement Park" more robust and engaging.

  Thank you again for putting the tools into the hands of my students and giving them a greater variety of materials than I could've provided on my own.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis

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

• Tick! Tick! Tick! Boom! I Can See Time and Motion!

  Funded Dec 18, 2023

  Thanks to your generous donation, my students were able to collect data around different big ideas in Physics; speed, free fall, acceleration and gravity, and air resistance to name a few. Students inherently know these things exist, but haven't had the opportunity to explore them and put words and numbers to them until now.

  The Spark timers you have provided allowed for more accurate data collection and with that data students were able to support the claim that the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.81 m/s2. These tools make it so much easier to visualizing time and connect it to distance and see speed and acceleration happen and solid evidence with the spark timer tape that they can use to measure and calculate from.

  Our next big project involves forces and an Egg Drop engineering design challenge. These timers will be out again to help us calculate the acceleration of the device and the resulting impact the egg will experience. It is going to be AWESOME!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.

• Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! Exploring Motion With Simple Materials in Physics

  Funded Oct 31, 2024

  This has been amazing! The materials were used for several different explorations on motion. Our experience with free fall and creating "paper clip parachutes". This was so engaging- students were truly invested in "saving" their paperclip person from the terrible fate of plummeting to their demise. Students collaborated, discusses, engineered, and revised parachutes to increase the drag the paper clip experienced. Students collected data, analyzed it, and drew conclusions about the effectiveness of their design.

  We followed up free fall with projectile motion and WOO! did we see things fly! The materials table was laid out with the array of materials available, the students did some research on catapults and trebuchets and ballistas, and the brains got to work. They explored materials, exchanged materials, tested different variations, and sent ping pong balls flying! This was a great hook into learning about projectile motion equations with real applications to their devices and their decisions.

  Our next step... forces and creating Egg Drop devices! They are so excited.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 5 other donors.

• The Tools for the Job: Graphing Calculators for Physics

  Funded Jun 2, 2016

  It has been wonderful to see my students move from the calculator app on their phones to exploring graphing, statistics, and comparing methods for solving problems using the Texas Instruments calculators your generous donations have provided. Students are exploring the functions the calculator has to offer and teaching each other the tricks and tips for making the most out of using the device.

  My students are excited to compare their results by working out problems on paper and on the calculator. It has been incredible to watch them set up their work on paper while a peer works it out through the calculator and having the open discussion about procedure, the order of the operations, and discussing the appropriate number of digits for rounding.

  I am so proud of how my students are using the calculators. The calculators have made a huge difference with some students with dyslexia- the screen is large enough that they can see each of the things they have input and have a running record of the steps they have taken to reach an answer. They can see and quickly correct their mis-typing and they can show their work and thought process with others for open discussion.

  I'm really looking forward to getting the materials for us to use the graphing calculators as a tool for data collection with different sensors.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 7 other donors.

• Next Gen Science Standards Across the Grades

  Funded Dec 8, 2015

  The delivery of the materials you have provided was a production: what seems like a fleet of volunteers carried the boxes of supplies up to the 5th floor and bought them to our room. They were met with cheers! Access to markers, colored pencils, colored paper, and scissors has been scarce this year and the gears began turning immediately.

  When addressing the Next Generation Science Standards about Scale, our students in different courses and in different grades were able to see each others creations while in progress and actually have the visuals spark a conversation... some science, some design, some process... but all engaged in the materials. Your gift gave way to a means for students to express themselves and their understanding in a way that took the pressure off their ability to verbalize, and encouraged demonstrating their knowledge and connections.

  Markers, colored pencils, scissors, and construction paper are also continuing to serve our classroom projects. Students are creating installments on environmental issues, historical timelines, and informational presentations in health. Your investment in us is going a much greater distance than one single project. It is bring students into the production of information and giving teachers the resources to broaden the offerings of performance tasks.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis

• So Many Connections!! Robotics in Physics

  Funded Apr 22, 2015

  This project is having an incredible impact on my students and the culture of science community at my school. It is an incredible experience for my students to work collaboratively and design their Bots based on the materials and goal for the project, but not from a template. This year they negotiated and renegotiated. Everyone had a voice in the building of the device. Revisions were constantly happening. Because there was no one "right way", each Bot is unique and shows the effort of the entire group. This is science. Exploring, testing, communicating, revising, researching, and collaborating.

  These BrainBot kits are reusable, which means the students in the coming school year will also experience making their own Bots, to create understanding of design, coding, and building community. The kits compliment the unit on Electricity and make it a hands on experience beyond the standard "turn on a lightbulb" boards.

  I have always believed in learning through doing and your donations are helping students in the South Bronx make that kind of learning happen. They're engaged, they're invested, and they're gaining skills many of their peers don't have an opportunity to explore. With your help to thank for it. Thank you.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Davis