Past projects 12
Science Library Refresh
Funded Sep 5, 2016Your donations continually encourage me as a teacher. I am glad for each one of you and your support. This grant provided a new set of books for my science library, as shown in the pictures for this grant. I purchased a variety of science books--focused on everything from chemistry to astronomy to sports to superheroes. The reading levels range from super-cool picture books to esoteric theoretical physics. A number of excellent graphic novels have been published about scientists and discoveries. I bought as many as I could.
These books are used almost every day in my class. We have 20 minutes of study hall at the end of each day. Students can choose to work on homework, or read a book from the science library. I love seeing what books they choose, and talking with them about the books.
One student was struggling with staying focused during study hall--it's the end of the day! And everyone is ready to leave! But, he's discovered the graphic novels. He works steadily through one book until he's done, and then he finds another one. It's great to watch him learn and grow, and he has a great sense of accomplishment as he finishes each book.
Thank you all for your ongoing support. I'm am grateful for you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Stock the Chem Lab!
Funded Nov 20, 2015Thank you all for your amazing and ongoing support for our classroom. It's taken me a bit to write this thank you, because we've been busy doing chemistry. My students have been stretched and challenged this year by the academic and intellectual demands of chemistry, and I'm very proud of how they have risen to this challenge. The other day, a student said to me, "Wow, Ms. Povey, I didn't realize chemistry could be so interesting! I though it was just about mixing solutions together."
While this compliment sounds mixed, it is actually exactly what I want to hear. My work, every day, is opening students' minds to new possibilities about science, themselves, and the world around them. As my students realize these possibilities, their dreams and goals for the future expand. This has only happened with your fabulous support. Please know that you are a part of my students' learning and lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Hotplates: Half Way Mark!
Funded Dec 19, 2014Thank you all for your support of my classroom. Usually I write about how important and meaningful the resources are for my students--and believe me, these hotplates will be put to good use by excellent, inquisitive students. But this time, I am thinking about how grateful I am personally for your support.
As a classroom teacher, most of my day is spent with 150 fun and funny 14-year-olds. My adult interaction is limited to other teachers in the building. Because of the demands of teaching, it is rare to connect with people outside the walls of my classroom and my school, and I can forget how much you all care about our students.
Your donation is tangible encouragement for me in the work we're doing. These hotplates remind me that I'm not alone in my classroom, that you are standing with me and supporting student learning. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
More Safe Hotplates!
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you all for your wonderful generosity. My students have greatly enjoyed unpacking the new hotplates and seeing how shiny and new they look. Our old hotplates look even more pitiful as we put the new, safe, reliable hotplates next to them on the shelves. Next week, we start our first hotplate lab, and I know there will be competition to use the new ones.
We have been very busy with science this year. Students have been exploring the world around them, learning about density, and the phase changes of matter, and how energy is involved with matter. Today we had a very interesting conversation about how water behaves when you take away gravity. Almost daily, my students come up with excellent science questions, and I wish we had time and resources to explore them all.
As a science teacher, I constantly seek hands-on opportunities for students to learn concepts. They learn much more deeply when they do their own investigations. The resources you have provided my classroom enables us to do multiple experiments over the school year. Thank you profoundly.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Safe Hotplates!
Funded Aug 25, 2014Thank you so much for the hotplates. We will be doing our first hotplate experiment next week, and I'm thankful and glad for each of these new hotplates. They are safe, efficient, and look brand new (which they are). My students notice whether things are new or old, good condition or poor condition. When we have new materials, they are always excited and proud, and feel so respected.
As you can see from our photos, we have been very busy in science, exploring the universe around us and having a good time while doing so. So far, we've learned about safely using equipment, calculating density, and phase change in matter.
My students always learn better when they can do their own explorations. Having these hotplates enables me to give them opportunities they would not have otherwise to do weekly experiments. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation Back To School and 6 other donors.Science Library: Let's Keep Going!
Funded Jan 31, 2013Thank you for your marvelous donations. The school year is in its final weeks, and my freshmen students continue to be deeply commited to our reading time. Every Monday, we start class with 15 minutes of silent reading. Everything is quiet and focused (with occasional sleepyheads).
This week, one of my students said, "Ms. Povey, I wish we could start every class with silent reading." "Why is that?" I asked him. "Because it just helps me get into the right space," he answered. This is a student who has struggled to develop academic habits. He's worked so hard all year, and I've watched his attention span grow as he practices silent reading.
Your gifts of science books have made this possible. Students never have the excuse, "I have nothing to read." We have variety of topics and reading levels in our library now. It is lovely to offer these books to my students. Thank you and thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Build a Science Library!
Funded Sep 11, 2012We've just begun second quarter in the school year, and my freshmen are settling into the demands and joys of being high school students. "This is a lot harder than middle school," they tell me. "Yes," I say, "and you are ready for it. You are a little older, and a little stronger, and I see you figuring out how to do this."
The cool thing for me as a teacher is that every time my students demonstrate their increasing maturity and curiosity and persistance, it gives me confidence in giving them new challenges. Thanks to your support as donors to my classroom, we have tools and resources to explore ideas and the world around them.
This year's batch of students have adopted our silent reading practice without question. They come into class on Mondays and immediately go to our science library for a book or magazine. As you can see in the pictures, your donations have doubled the size of the library. Some days, there's a tussle over who gets to read the Lego book, but within a few minutes, everyone is sitting and reading quietly, deeply engaged in their books. It's a lovely thing to see, and I'm thankful for your help in making it possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Simple Science
Funded Mar 13, 2012Thank you all for your amazing generosity to our classroom. When your donation arrived, it was like Christmas and birthday and surprise party and school shopping all wrapped into one. The deliveries would come during class, and every day for a week, we had a box or two being dropped off. Then, my volunteer club helped me after school to unpack everything and put it away in my prep room.
Some of your donations have been used in class projects--timers for physics research; beakers for chemistry inquiries. Other donations I have put out for students to play with before school and during break. Things like magnets and density cubes provide as much learning when students just "mess around with them" as when they do directed inquiry. It's lovely to provide my students with these resources.
Every day, I am encouraged by your support when I come into class and see my formerly empty cupboards filled with good science equipment. Thank you all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
8 Down, 24 To Go...
Funded Feb 3, 2012Since the arrival of the stools, I have not heard one complaint from students about safety or not having a place to sit. I do get complaints about "the seats are too hard" and "we can't spin anymore," but I consider these to be benefits of our new stools. No spinning = more focus. And hopefully a hard seat will help students stay awake better.
You'll see in the photos I posted that the delivery boxes for the stools also brought joy to the classroom. After students helped to unpack the boxes, they climbed inside and walked around the classroom as box robots for a while.
Thank you all for your consistent and ongoing generosity to my classroom and to students everywhere. I greatly appreciate it. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey
Basic Media Supplies
Funded Dec 1, 2011Thank you all for your generosity to my physical science classroom. The technology you provided seems simple--speakers, a camera, a powerpoint "clicker"--and yet they have changed our classroom to make it warmer and more active on a daily basis.
With the speakers you donated, I now play music before class, and during our quiet workdays, I play classical music that was donated by another generous benefactor. The students appreciate having the background music to help them focus.
The powerpoint clicker helps me teach, because I'm no longer tied to the computer in the front of the room, and can move through information while working with students. The clicker also entertains students, because I frequently click too soon--and give away the answer to the question I'm asking.
The camera has inspired creativity and built our classroom community. The pictures I posted on my donorschoose site were taken by my students using your donated camera.
Thank you all, again and again, for your ongoing generosity and support for education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Povey