Past projects 8
Science Graphing Supplies
Funded Jul 27, 2021Thank you so much for the graphing/whiteboard supplies. My students are a bright group of students, but due to many outside factors, especially the pandemic, they are often behind in core areas like graphing. Being able to use these multicolored markers, especially, has helped them visualize their data more easily, as well as to simply make practice more fun!
When they first saw the supply of materials that were so generously donated, many students' mouths dropped open (or I assume they did, though they were hidden behind masks!) They were so excited to have new and abundant supplies to practice what can often be a boring task.
We will continue to use these materials as we move on to more advanced topics. While the markers were first used for basic x- and y-axis graphing, they will soon be used for drawing ellipses to calculated eccentricities, drawing circles to triangulate the location of earthquakes, and more. We are excited to continue to have these resources available!
Thank you,
Andrea Robinson”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 2 other donors.My Turn To Learn: Help to Improve My Teaching Practice!
Funded Oct 19, 2017Thank you so much for helping me to attend the NSTA conference this year! As a teacher teaching three separate courses, it is a challenge to find, organize and maintain interesting activities for all of my different students at once. It is especially hard to organize activities for my Anatomy classes, since there are simply fewer resources for Anatomy teachers than there are for teachers of the core NYC classes. This conference, however, had such a wide array of sessions for all three of the classes I teach, along with pedagogy and student engagement presentations, that I had a hard time choosing what to attend! I tested forensic footprints, made muscles and organs out of clay, performed a pig autopsy, heard from a top meteorologist, practiced activities designed to explain homeostasis, and more. I left at the end of each day feeling exhilarated with my new knowledge, and excited to get back into my classroom and try out all of the new strategies and activities I learned.
I am so grateful to have attended this conference, and I know you were a huge part of my ability to do so- so thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.Daily Lab Supplies Help Us Learn!
Funded Nov 28, 2017Thank you so much for donating supplies for our lab classroom! It is such a nice change to have a fully stocked supply cabinet for my students that is ready to go when we are preparing for a new lab activity. This will be especially nice for our upcoming density lab for my Earth Science students- layering various liquids in graduated cylinders always proves to be a messy day!
The highlighters and markers will be especially great for my Biology students, and I can't wait for them to be put to use as we begin our analysis of different cells under the microscope. The detailed colors will help students remember what they saw, and highlighters will help them prepare for the lab as they read ahead to learn their procedure.
Thank you again for your kind donation- we are so appreciative!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 2 other donors.A Visit From the BioBus!
Funded Mar 29, 2017Thank you so much for your support for this project! Our visit to the BioBus was an incredible success. From the moment my students saw the bus parked in front of our school, they were running up to my classroom to tell me that they were ready to go! As each class made their way onto the bus, they were exposed to high-tech equipment, and had a chance to practice using microscopes that allowed them to see Daphnia (the BioBus' model organism) in MUCH greater detail than any microscopes we have at school. The ability to explore unique organisms using this equipment was the favorite activity for many of my students.
As a result of this trip, many of our students have expressed interest in continuing to be involved with the BioBus and its projects. The BioBus has an internship program for high school students, and many of our 8th-graders have already reached out to express interest in applying for next year's program, which would offer them an opportunity to work side-by-side with scientists and would give those interested in doing college research a huge advantage!
Again, we are so thankful that you chose to help to fund this worthwhile project! It has certainly been a highlight of our year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by Aspect Ventures and 9 other donors.Building Vocabulary...with Flocabulary!
Funded Aug 31, 2017Thank you so much for helping to provide this resource to my students. Flocabulary is a series of short, catchy videos for a ton of different science topics that are designed in a way to make complex vocabulary easier to understand and use for my students. Because the courses I teach (Anatomy, Earth Science and Biology) are filled with challenging vocabulary words, the easier I can make it for my students to grasp these new words more quickly, the better. It also helps that the videos are so fun to watch, and the tunes along with each story stick in my students' heads!
Although this tool is helpful to all of my students, it's particularly helpful to my English Language Learners and my Special Education students, who may have a harder time learning and remembering how to use new words. The format of these videos is such a lifesaver for them!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
7th Graders Save the Oysters in New York City Waterways!
Funded Mar 28, 2017Thank you so much for the resources we received because of your donation! The huge array of tools that will help us monitor water levels, insect and fish populations, as well as the growth and health of the oysters, has been instrumental to our participation in this project.
When my students saw that we had received so many testing supplies, they were thrilled. They have been given a chance to work with the materials, many of which they'd never seen before, and we're excited to be preparing for our first class visit to our Billion Oyster Project tank for the first time in just a few weeks!
This project is ongoing, and will involve all of this year's 7th and 8th grade students, and will then be picked up by the incoming 7th graders next year. We are hopeful that we will expand our project to two tanks next year, and that the project will continue to grow from there!
Again, thanks so much for making our participation in this project possible.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by Overdeck Family Foundation & Simons Foundation and one other donor.BrainPop! To Inspire Student Engagement, Learning and Love of Science!
Funded Nov 29, 2016Thank you so much for your generous contribution to make BrainPop! a part of our classroom! BrainPop! is a program that contains dozens of videos (narrated by a cartoon student named Tim and his robot, Moby,) that introduces and explains scientific concepts at a level that my students can understand. Even more than that, BrainPop! offers quizzes, practice worksheets, and graphic organizers to help students dig deeper into the subjects and help enhance their learning.
As a middle school and high school science teacher, I love BrainPop! because it gives my students another way to view each concept, beyond their textbooks and my explanations in class. Additionally, it's a great way for my visual and auditory learners to experience these (often difficult) concepts in a clear and interesting way.
As an additional bonus, my students (especially the middle schoolers) LOVE BrainPop! They cheer when they see that we are going to be using it. We are so thankful that you have made BrainPop! a regular part of our school year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
Frog Dissection!
Funded Mar 9, 2016When my students first saw that we were going to dissect frogs, I heard things like "I have been hoping all year that we'd get to do this!" and "I can't believe this is happening!" Needless to say, they had a great time with this project.
Because of this gift from Donors Choose, my students were able to spend their final day of class in a culminating activity that helped them bring together all of their knowledge from the year. We were able to explore homeostasis within the body, see how the respiratory and circulatory systems worked in tandem, and see the muscle fibers that utilize ATP. It was a great way to round out the year.
As these students complete their Biology course, they are preparing to move on to Earth Science- hopefully as my students once again! Being able to engage in exciting, hands-on experiences like this frog dissection really helped them see their learning in action, and has prepared them for the next courses that they will embark on in high school.
This was a really excellent experience, and my students and I are so lucky to have participated.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Robinson
This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and one other donor.