Past projects 147
Say Queso! Cameras for English Language Learners
Funded Dec 19, 2010In the few months since your donated cameras first arrived at my classroom they have significantly changed how projects are conducted and how learning happens. Let me start by saying that these cameras have been out and used several times per class each month, and not just by me. My students travel as a class to all of their subjects during the day, and as a result share a team of teachers among them. Our team of instructors has found ways to utilize these cameras in history, English language arts, and our college preparation class in addition to science.
In my science class, we have used the cameras to document our lab activities in a way we never before had available to us. Students are using the cameras to record the steps of our DNA extraction lab, and will soon use them to photograph model ecosystems based on Old Man and the Sea. In history and humanities, students have used the cameras for everything from essays about identity to student produced talk shows where they play and interview world leaders of the past.
One of the most meaningful projects these cameras were used for was something my students previously had little experience in - college. In a recent college visit, students used these cameras to do a photographic scavenger hunt for elements of college living such as food, dorm life, and studying. When we returned to school we had over 300 pictures to choose from as we created presentations about life in college. Students who couldn't say the first thing about what or why happens at a college were using the pictures from these cameras to explain what they saw and liked or didn't like about the campus we visited. Very directly these cameras played a large part in getting kids interested in continuing their education after high school and helped set their sights higher for what they can do and can be.
Your donation has been quickly put to good use and I am sure will continue to be used frequently in the weeks and years to come. Thank you again for making such a big difference in how I can teach and how my kids can learn.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 6 other donors."World, can you hear me?" Microphones for Recording Podcast
Funded Dec 19, 2010Several times now my classroom and our school have been fortunate enough to receive donations from you and others through Donorschoose. Each time it is as exciting as the first. With this latest equipment, we were able to do things this group of kids has never done before, and I could see right away how it changed the way they approached my class and the way they practice their English and teamwork.
We first used the headphones and microphones to create online presentations about diseases we studied in class. In the past, this may have ended in a one and done presentation by a small group of students - Those students who had not yet mastered the language of the project could have quickly mumbled their way through their presentation and sat down without another opportunity to speak to an audience. By making their final product a recording, even students who are reluctant to talk got all the opportunities they needed to make sure they did their presentation well.
Small teams of students found quiet places to work in the classroom, in the principal's office, and even in the hallway to do their jobs together. What I saw from them was stronger speakers helping weaker ones, successful researchers pointing their classmates in the right direction, and a lot of mutual encouragement and excitement for one another. Were all of the recordings perfect? No way. But now, several weeks later, my students are using this same technology to study religious conflicts in their humanities class. The results are still not 100% fluency, nor could one expect them to be in so short a time. However, they show measurable growth even over the course of a few weeks, an important benchmark for both teachers and students to hear. With continued practice and the confidence my students are gaining from the technology you donated, academic proficiency in English is no longer so distant a goal.
You have my deepest thanks, and soon you will have my students' Thank You notes, as well.
Until then, please enjoy listening to some of the work you made possible by using the links below:
Bacteria Lab: http://voicethread.com/share/1719528/
Religious Conflicts: http://voicethread.com/share/1937740/”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 5 other donors.What's Bugging Us? No Bacteria For Our Experiments!
Funded Dec 28, 2010Just this past week my students and I completed our 2 month-long project on diseases and bacteria. The culminating project was the inhibition of bacterial growth and this donation was the centerpiece of the project. The kits we received through this donation were an indispensable resource that allowed my students to design and implement their own research ideas. The classroom was a flurry of activity during this week: groups of students were speaking in English, choosing variables from the many potential germicidal chemicals and from the many species of bacteria we had available to us. The result was nearly everything I hoped it would be.
While some petri dishes were very neat examples of the scientific method with the results we expected, many others were not, and these were the most important in many ways. Students had to reconcile inconsistent results with poorly planned methods. Some struggled, but were working and eventually successful as they sought to find the right words to describe their results and thoughts. Others were struggling to understand why some chemicals such as mouthwash or antibiotic showed almost no sign of restricting bacterial growth. Through these unexpected results, many students had the "AHA" moment when they recognized the importance of a control and of careful design and implementation. Many immediately saw their results were not useful and had to return to the drawing-board to do the experiment again. It was one of my favorite projects and as many students told me, one of theirs as well. The interest and curiosity this generated is all thanks to your generosity.
As my students move on to other science courses and eventually decide whether to pursue science and even college, I know that this project will factor into their decisions. With these resources available, it showed them how they are the most important factor in scientific discovery - their curiosity, their problem-solving, and their persistence. Thanks to you, a future generation of potential scientists had a real taste of discovery, and I'm sure many are hungry for more.
”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by American Express Members Project and 3 other donors.Headsets for Recording and Listening to Podcasts
Funded Aug 22, 2010Several times now my classroom and our school have been fortunate enough to receive donations from you and others through Donorschoose. Each time it is as exciting as the first. With this latest equipment, we were able to do things this group of kids has never done before, and I could see right away how it changed the way they approached my class and the way they practice their English and teamwork.
We first used the headphones and microphones to create online presentations about diseases we studied in class. In the past, this may have ended in a one and done presentation by a small group of students - Those students who had not yet mastered the language of the project could have quickly mumbled their way through their presentation and sat down without another opportunity to speak to an audience. By making their final product a recording, even students who are reluctant to talk got all the opportunities they needed to make sure they did their presentation well.
Small teams of students found quiet places to work in the classroom, in the principal's office, and even in the hallway to do their jobs together. What I saw from them was stronger speakers helping weaker ones, successful researchers pointing their classmates in the right direction, and a lot of mutual encouragement and excitement for one another. Were all of the recordings perfect? No way. But I bet that when we use these headphones to record another project next week, they will be even better than the last time. The headsets you provided made their collaboration and their experience speaking and listening to one another possible and will make future projects just as rich. You have my thanks, and soon you will have my students' Thank You notes, as well.
Until then, please enjoy listening to some of the work you made possible by using the links below:
voicethread.com/share/1638563/
voicethread.com/share/1638549/”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
Take Immigrant Students to the Aquarium
Funded Jan 31, 2010It has been a few weeks since our trip to the aquarium, and I just wanted to share a few observations with you about what I saw on the trip and what has transpired since. First of all, the students who came on the trip all had similar comments: They all say that they had a truly fun time. Thanks to the subway ride and the size of the aquarium, it turned out to be a long day, but a memorable one. From the time we entered at the underwater reef tank, each and every student was engaged in some part of the surroundings. Whether it was giant rays in the tank, the sea lion show, or sea turtles, my students were eager to take it all in and to find out what else the aquarium held for them.
Most importantly, students who spoke different native languages were spending time together, practicing their English. They had something to talk about and were finding their voice for doing it. My students were also eager to share their experience with the teachers. One of the other teachers and I even got a bit of a Chinese lesson in the names of marine life. Some students who I've never seen spend time with one another in school spent the day together, and I've seen those friendships develop even more back at school.
This was one of our first big field trips of the spring for Explorers' Club. It helped us launch even more interest in weekend trips, not only with the students we invited, but by word of mouth, as well. Now rarely a day goes by when I am not asked, "Mister, what trip is on Saturday?" Thanks to you, these kids are more connected to their school community. In my experience, when that starts to happen, they become successful even when learning becomes frustrating and difficult. They have peers and teachers they know they can talk to and rely on, so it becomes harder for them to fall through the cracks. For this group of kids, your gift helped make that happen. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.Help Us See the Small Stuff With Microscope Cameras
Funded Jan 13, 2010I want to thank you for the wonderful contribution your donated microscope cameras have made to our school.
Just this past month, we have been using microscopes nearly everyday to study plants, human tissues, and even live protists. Having done this project before, I can unequivocally say that the technology you purchased for us has completely transformed the way we learn about cells. As you can see in the photos I sent last week, students are grouped around their computer screens, pointing out structures and debating whether or not what they see is a particular organelle or shape. Microscope labs were once a silent guessing game about what they were seeing in the eyepiece, and students had to rely on their drawings, which themselves were interpretations of what they might see. These of course varied wildly based on what objects they perceived to be important. I can't imagine how many hours were spent observing air bubbles, specks of dust, or fingerprints before I was able to go to each group and point them in the right direction.
Thanks to your cameras, students quickly and efficiently found the structures they were interested in. More importantly though, they were really collaborating, talking about what they could see, practicing English and accurately describing sizes, shapes, and colors. Students posted their results to our school's social network, and it still is astonishing to me how well they are writing about what we did and what they observed. There was truly an "extra" bit of curiosity and excitement for them because they got to see their work on screen and share their discoveries with one another. This lab went better than any microscope activity I have ever taught before, and it is all thanks to you. The excitement for me is just beginning because now that we have these cameras, all future activities will be similarly transformed.
Because of the financial climate surrounding schools lately, I don't want to understate what a meaningful contribution this is for my class and for me. Just this morning I read that my city's mayor is considering cutting about 10% of the teachers going into next year because of the dire budget situation. There is no word yet whether there will be 10% fewer children though, so I can only surmise that even if the numbers are inflated this means less resources for kids in more crowded classrooms. In these difficult times when politicians do not see the value of education, it is a truly wonderful thing that you have selflessly given of yourself to keep the futures of these students bright. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Help us See the Small Stuff with Microscope Cameras
Funded Dec 16, 2009I want to thank you for the wonderful contribution your donated microscope cameras have made to our school.
Just this past month, we have been using microscopes nearly every day to study plants, human tissues, and even live protists. Having done this project before, I can unequivocally say that the technology you purchased for us has completely transformed the way we learn about cells. As you can see in the photos I sent last week, students are grouped around their computer screens, pointing out structures and debating whether or not what they see is a particular organelle or shape. Microscope labs were once a silent guessing game about what they were seeing in the eyepiece, and students had to rely on their drawings, which themselves were interpretations of what they might see. These of course varied wildly based on what objects they perceived to be important. I can't imagine how many hours were spent observing air bubbles, specks of dust, or fingerprints before I was able to go to each group and point them in the right direction.
Thanks to your cameras, students quickly and efficiently found the structures they were interested in. More importantly though, they were really collaborating, talking about what they could see, practicing English and accurately describing sizes, shapes, and colors. Students posted their results to our school's social network, and it still is astonishing to me how well they are writing about what we did and what they observed. There was truly an "extra" bit of curiosity and excitement for them because they got to see their work on screen and share their discoveries with one another. This lab went better than any microscope activity I have ever taught before, and it is all thanks to you. The excitement for me is just beginning because now that we have these cameras, all future activities will be similarly transformed.
Because of the financial climate surrounding schools lately, I don't want to understate what a meaningful contribution this is for my class and for me. Just this morning I read that my city's mayor is considering cutting about 10% of the teachers going into next year because of the dire budget situation. There is no word yet whether there will be 10% fewer children though, so I can only surmise that even if the numbers are inflated this means less resources for kids in more crowded classrooms. In these difficult times when politicians do not see the value of education, it is a truly wonderful thing that you have selflessly given of yourself to keep the futures of these students bright. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Help us See the Small Stuff with Microscope Cameras
Funded Sep 26, 2009I want to thank you for the wonderful contribution your donated microscope cameras have made to our school.
Just this past month, we have been using microscopes nearly everyday to study plants, human tissues, and even live protists. Having done this project before, I can unequivocally say that the technology you purchased for us has completely transformed the way we learn about cells. As you can see in the photos I sent last week, students are grouped around their computer screens, pointing out structures and debating whether or not what they see is a particular organelle or shape. Microscope labs were once a silent guessing game about what they were seeing in the eyepiece, and students had to rely on their drawings, which themselves were interpretations of what they might see. These of course varied wildly based on what objects they perceived to be important. I can't imagine how many hours were spent observing air bubbles, specks of dust, or fingerprints before I was able to go to each group and point them in the right direction.
Thanks to your cameras, students quickly and efficiently found the structures they were interested in. More importantly though, they were really collaborating, talking about what they could see, practicing English and accurately describing sizes, shapes, and colors. Students posted their results to our school's social network, and it still is astonishing to me how well they are writing about what we did and what they observed. There was truly an "extra" bit of curiosity and excitement for them because they got to see their work on screen and share their discoveries with one another. This lab went better than any microscope activity I have ever taught before, and it is all thanks to you. The excitement for me is just beginning because now that we have these cameras, all future activities will be similarly transformed.
Because of the financial climate surrounding schools lately, I don't want to understate what a meaningful contribution this is for my class and for me. Just this morning I read that my city's mayor is considering cutting about 10% of the teachers going into next year because of the dire budget situation. There is no word yet whether there will be 10% fewer children though, so I can only surmise that even if the numbers are inflated this means less resources for kids in more crowded classrooms. In these difficult times it is a truly wonderful thing that you have selflessly given of yourself to keep the futures of these students bright. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.Help us See the Small Stuff with Microscope Cameras
Funded Aug 24, 2009I want to thank you for the wonderful contribution your donated microscope cameras have made to our school.
Just this past month, we have been using microscopes nearly everyday to study plants, human tissues, and even live protists. Having done this project before, I can unequivocally say that the technology you purchased for us has completely transformed the way we learn about cells. As you can see in the photos I sent last week, students are grouped around their computer screens, pointing out structures and debating whether or not what they see is a particular organelle or shape. Microscope labs were once a silent guessing game about what they were seeing in the eyepiece, and students had to rely on their drawings, which themselves were interpretations of what they might see. These of course varied wildly based on what objects they perceived to be important. I can't imagine how many hours were spent observing air bubbles, specks of dust, or fingerprints before I was able to go to each group and point them in the right direction.
Thanks to your cameras, students quickly and efficiently found the structures they were interested in. More importantly though, they were really collaborating, talking about what they could see, practicing English and accurately describing sizes, shapes, and colors. Students posted their results to our school's social network, and it still is astonishing to me how well they are writing about what we did and what they observed. There was truly an "extra" bit of curiosity and excitement for them because they got to see their work on screen and share their discoveries with one another. This lab went better than any microscope activity I have ever taught before, and it is all thanks to you. The excitement for me is just beginning because now that we have these cameras, all future activities will be similarly transformed.
Because of the financial climate surrounding schools lately, I don't want to understate what a meaningful contribution this is for my class and for me. Just this morning I read that my city's mayor is considering cutting about 10% of the teachers going into next year because of the dire budget situation. There is no word yet whether there will be 10% fewer children though, so I can only surmise that even if the numbers are inflated this means less resources for kids in more crowded classrooms. In these difficult times it is a truly wonderful thing that you have selflessly given of yourself to keep the futures of these students bright. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.DNA Gel Electrophoresis for ESL/ELL Students
Funded Sep 26, 2009Thank you for your generous donation to our school community and my students' futures. Several times now, my school has been the recipient of gifts from Donorschoose.org. Each time, it renews my sense that teaching is a profession that reaches beyond the four walls of the classroom. Each time we open a new box of donated equipment, that sense perceptibly spreads to my students as well, and they start to see that their education must be important if complete strangers are continually willing to give freely to it.
The science teachers at our school have dedicated a lot of our personal time and effort over the last several years in professional development and working with universities to improve our knowledge about teaching genetics and DNA. Those efforts have made us better teachers, but your gift has given us the irreplaceable tools to do the type of science we want our students to do. You've made years of sophisticated labs and learning experiences possible with this gift.
The photos I posted are from our first project using the gel electrophoresis boxes you donated. Thanks to a colleague's research experience in Australia this past summer, we have been grinding and extracting DNA from sea grasses as part of a larger global project to use DNA as an identifying barcode for different species. This project has consumed several weeks of our after-school science challenge course and has brought our students into a community of scientists doing unprecedented work to improve our understanding of life. Before your donation, we could have read about this type of science in the news or in journals and it would remain a distant curiosity. However, with your donation we are really doing the science that is happening in university labs. Without this equipment, we simply could not do this type of work. At a time when school budgets are shrinking, your donation was a welcome sign for my students that their education is still worth funding. It is a real treat to tell them that thanks to donations like this, by the time they get to biology classes in college they will have mastered many of the techniques and the equipment commonly in use there. I cannot say thank you enough for your generosity, for making our school a better place to learn, and for making their future goals of college and careers more achievable.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Wolf
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.