Past projects 9
Clean Goggles for Good Learning
Funded Jun 16, 2023Thank you so much for your contributions to my classroom so that we can get my classes a goggle cleaner to safely conduct lab experiments. The students have been excited to work on lab experiments and now have a chance to see how scientists clean their equipment so that they can remain safe in a lab setting. They were initially curious about how the goggle cleaner operates, and now they understand its importance in helping conduct scientific work. We've built a routine where students get their goggles from the goggle cleaner at the beginning of the class on lab days and put them back in as soon as they are finished with the lab so that the next class has access as well. They have also been sure to take care of it so that we can continue to use this resource for years to come.
As we move through the rest of the school year, we will continue to conduct lab experiments on chemical reactions, reaction rate, and acids and bases. While the students might not know what experiments are coming their way, they will still continue to appreciate the gift you have given us because we otherwise would have not had as much fun doing hands-on learning in the classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 5 other donors.Exciting Chemistry Activities
Funded Jun 12, 2019Thank you so much for donating to my project so that my students would have access to proven classroom activities. Due to the rollout of new standards for science, which are called the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers have been revamping the curriculum to better support our students to meet these standards. Unfortunately, the textbook companies have not caught up, so we have been teaching without the proper resources.
By donating these books, I was able to teach my students how to design their own experiments using the "Fundamentals of Experimental Design" activity to generate discussion amongst the students on how to do it. As a result, they were able to apply their knowledge to a lab related to thermochemistry as well as practiced annotation skills so that they can better understand how to read informational texts. This will better prepare them for college so that they are more likely to graduate.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and one other donor.Mixing Magic Into the Chemistry Classroom
Funded Nov 14, 2018Thanks to your generosity, my students are now able to use the resources you helped fund to learn more about chemical reactions, specifically reaction rates. They were excited to learn through a hands-on experience as opposed to just reading about it in their textbooks. As a result, the students were able to see the phenomenon from the iodine clock reaction and generate questions, which in turn drove student discussion. They were all so engaged!
Now that they have seen what factors go into changing a reaction rate, we will now embark on applying this concept on climate change. They will see how higher concentrations of certain reactants are producing more carbon dioxide and adding to the greenhouse effect as well as causing our oceans to undergo acidification.
These large concepts would not be tangible for my students had it not been for the materials that you helped fundraise. I want to extend my sincerest thanks for your help, as do my students. Your actions have helped so many students make sense of the world using chemistry.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
Balancing Chemical Reactions
Funded Mar 27, 2018My students were ecstatic when they received our balances because they knew it meant that they would be able to do more lab experiments to end the school year. In fact, we used them for a variety of labs such as making slime and measuring baking soda for the stoichiometry lab. Moreover, we had deep conversations about how to use balances, the difference between ounces and grams, and why we use the metric system in science. By having these balances in my classroom, the kinesthetic, visual, and interpersonal learners in my classroom truly enhanced their learning because they had the experience to make sense of the chemistry concepts.
While we received these instruments later in the school year, my current students still left my classroom with a better understanding of how to relate chemistry to their everyday lives. They have even been spreading their knowledge by presenting the information they learned to other classes, both formally and informally. They have gotten the next batch of chemistry students excited to learn in the class the following school year, and it is thanks to you.
Thank you so much for what you have done for my students. We are all immensely appreciative of your contributions to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 9 other donors.Heating Things Up in Chemistry
Funded Jul 13, 2017I am immensely grateful for your contributions to my classroom. The materials you have helped me purchase have been furthering my students' understanding of everyday phenomena in the context of chemistry. For example, my students were able to use the thermometers for various lab experiments regarding endothermic and exothermic reactions. They learned to use the thermometers and the hot plate to gather data to determine if the experiments demonstrated endothermic reaction traits or exothermic reaction traits. Without these tools, my students would have been stuck learning from the textbook without experimenting on their own.
My students were especially excited to see that we had received chemicals because they had never heard of them before and were enthusiastic to find out what happens when they react. They were immensely appreciative because they understood that you all donated in order to help them with their education.
I hope to further use experiments to pique my students' interest in science and to get them using their critical thinking skills to think like scientists. While this particular project was to get my students to understand thermochemistry, I will be moving on to a unit about how molecules interact to create the reactions they have seen. Without the foundation that your donation has helped established, my students would not be able to make the connections to the theoretical aspects of chemistry. So again, thank you for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 14 other donors.Chemical Safety for Students
Funded Nov 29, 2016My students are always excitedly asking when they will get to perform lab experiments, and now with your help, they can continue to do so. We have been conducting multiple laboratory experiments with your generous donations. In fact, we recently conducted a laboratory experiment in which students had to organically find the difference between heat and temperature. The experience allowed students to better understand the concepts because they made their own discoveries instead of just reading about them from a book.
My students were ecstatic to have new goggles and more beakers so that they can perform laboratory experiments safely with the proper equipment. We are truly grateful for all of your help because they now feel more like scientists and are more engaged in class. I believe you have all helped spark the students' interest in the science field.
As the school year continues, we will explore ideas such as reaction rates, solubility, acidity, and their real world applications. Thankfully, with your donations, we will be able to conduct more experiments to engage more students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
Basic Building Blocks for Chemistry
Funded Aug 5, 2016With the donated supplies, my students have been able to perform laboratory experiments and gain laboratory skills. For example, my students were able to use the pipets and pipet pumps to measure the appropriate amount of acetone for a laboratory experiment where they had to find the pH of different plants. They have also learned the difference between tap water and distilled water and why it is important to use only distilled water during experiments. These fundamental skills and knowledge will serve them well as it encourages critical thinking.
More importantly, these students have been excited about performing laboratory experiments, especially since they found out they have new materials to work with. One of the students said he felt "inspired because people don't take chances [on] us because of our race [and background]." In fact, the same student has been a leader during laboratory experiments by staying focused and helping his peers understand how to perform the tasks well. Overall, the students are grateful that there are people out there who are investing in their education so that they can perform the experiments instead of just reading about them.
We are currently using the supplies to perform a biotechnology lab where they will be learning about gel electrophoresis and its role in genetic engineering. They will continue to use the beakers and wash bottles to perform the experiment as well as many more to come during the school year. We are all so thankful for your generosity because without it, chemistry wouldn't be as exciting.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
Scientific Calculators for Chemistry
Funded Nov 4, 2015Due to your generous donations, my chemistry students have been learning how to use a scientific calculator in class. Many of them have never used one before because they did not have to work with really big or really small, complicated numbers prior to this class. Now that the students encounter such problems, they are better equipped to handle the challenges. For example, my students recently performed a laboratory experiment where they had to use the scientific calculators to learn about scientific notation and to find the number of particles in a substance. They were able to see how math is used in a chemistry setting and successfully completed the laboratory experiment.
My students were most excited about the fact that these scientific calculators were new because our school does not have many new supplies. The students who were previously less engaged in class became more intrigued because they now have a tool to use in chemistry class during assignments and experiments. Ultimately, your donations helped get students motivated to learn and prepared for college.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan
A Chance at Change in Art Class
Funded Aug 30, 2014Thank you so much for your kind donations to fund my art class. My students were ecstatic to find new art materials in the classroom, especially the masks and paint. Because we were able to use these materials for activities, the students talked about how art class was their favorite class to walk into. As soon as they walked through the classroom doors, the students immediately got to work, bringing out all the materials they would need for the period. Then they each sat in their favorite spot to paint. They asked questions about how to work with paint and experimented with it.
Some of the students did not know they were capable of being artistic until they were in this class, and they learned to persevere through the difficulties they faced. For example, one of the students was struggling to understand the color wheel. He knew that as long as they kept trying he would eventually get it right, and he was able to stay motivated. Eventually, he understood it as he continued to work on mixing the colors needed.
One of the key concepts I wanted my students to learn was that the efforts they put into their work will pay off in the future, and I believe my students did learn this through art. I couldn't have accomplished this without your generous donations.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chan