Past projects 4
Dreaming of 1-to-1 for STEM Success: Part 2!
Funded Jan 7, 2019Thank you so much for helping us add chromebooks to our science classroom! They are already adding opportunities for differentiation, computer modeling of phenomena, group and independent projects, and alternative assessment formats. At our school we have one chrome cart that is shared by each grade level, plus a macbook cart that is shared by two grade levels. And our tech person is excellent at keeping them all running! While that is more than some schools have access to, it still means that there are up to 8 classrooms sharing 30 computers, requiring careful planning and coordinating if technology is needed for a lesson.
Between this and one other Donors Choose project, we now have 7 chrome books, enough for each of our table groups to have access to a computer on any given day. We have already used them to explore Google Mars (check it out yourself!) as our anchoring phenomena for our latest unit on the rock and water cycle, run NetLogo simulations for population interactions between native and invasive species (NetLogo is also a program you can search for and checkout yourself) and researched and present on local bird species as part of our project with Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Celebrate Urban Birds initiative.
In addition to cool programs like these, we also use the computers on a daily basis to assist students with learning differences and who are working to learn English. Using computers allows these students to write more coherently, keep more organized notes, and translate materials and conversations from English to their native language in real time in order to support comprehension of complex science topics.
Again, this access to technology has significantly enhanced the learning experience of these students, and opened up new learning opportunities. Thank you so much for your help with this.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Symon
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 8 other donors.Dreaming of 1-to-1 for STEM Success: A First Step
Funded Oct 4, 2018Thank you so much for helping us add chromebooks to our science classroom! They are already adding opportunities for differentiation, computer modeling of phenomena, group and independent projects, and alternative assessment formats. At our school we have one chrome cart that is shared by each grade level, plus a macbook cart that is shared by two grade levels. And our tech person is excellent at keeping them all running! While that is more than some schools have access to, it still means that there are up to 8 classrooms sharing 30 computers, requiring careful planning and coordinating if technology is needed for a lesson.
Between this and one other Donors Choose project, we now have 7 chrome books in our science classroom, enough for each of our table groups to have access to a computer on any given day. We have already used them to explore Google Mars (check it out yourself!) as our anchoring phenomena for our latest unit on the rock and water cycle, run NetLogo simulations for population interactions between native and invasive species (NetLogo is also a program you can search for and checkout yourself) and researched and present on local bird species as part of our project with Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Celebrate Urban Birds initiative.
In addition to cool programs like these, we also use the computers on a daily basis to assist students with learning differences and who are working to learn English. Using computers allows these students to write more coherently, keep more organized notes, and translate materials and conversations from English to their native language in real time in order to support comprehension of complex science topics.
Again, this access to technology has significantly enhanced the learning experience of these students, and opened up new learning opportunities. Thank you so much for your help with this.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Symon
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 4 other donors.Dissecting the Anatomy of Survival!
Funded Sep 7, 2018My students were so excited to complete actual dissections.
This semester we used the supplies to dissect owl pellets and sea lamprey as part of our Ecology unit. The owl pellets illustrated aspects of the food webs we were discussing, but also gave students a glimpse of anatomy as the found and identified the bones in the pellets, and then tried to lay them out into a full rodent skeleton.
The sea lamprey got even more of an excited reaction from them. If you do not know what a lamprey is, go look it up and you will immediately understand my students' reactions. They are pretty strange creatures. Our ecology unit is based on the phenomenon of Lake Trout populations decreasing in the great lakes. As we try to solve the mystery of the population decline, we investigate various possible causes, one of which is invasive species, namely the sea lamprey. The students got to dissect lamprey in order to identify the structures that make them so successful (and destructive) in the Great Lakes. There were a lot of "ewes!" and "oh gross!" exclamations, but all of the students were super into it, even some who had expressed concern beforehand.
Our next steps will be to experiment with some computer simulations (thanks to another donors choose project!) that model population dynamics to look at predator/prey relationships and their impact on populations. This will give us more evidence for whether the sea lamprey could be causing the decline in trout population.
Thank you for helping to make all this learning possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Symon
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.Science Models Supplies and Storage
Funded Mar 10, 2018Thank you so much for helping us with our modeling supplies! The students were able to finish our last unit of the year on a strong note with their final models of how we smell things from a distance. Our curriculum uses models of various forms as ways for students to express what they know about each phenomenon we are studying as both pre- and post-assessments. I find this is a great way differentiate for students with different learning needs. They usually have a choice of format for these models, and I can adjust the supports and add more challenges for students as needed. It allows students to be creative, encouraging them to draw connections between the various bits of knowledge we have accumulated about a subject, bringing them all together into a complete scientific explanation.
The students were so excited to have new materials to work with. In the past I've had to ask them to bring most of the materials from home, and ration things like tape and glue so that they lasted for all four class periods. This often resulted in an uneven distribution of materials to work with between those who had resources to bring and those who did not. Students were particularly excited about the modeling clay! There were some very creative noses fashioned out of the clay, as well as whole scenes of kitchens and food (the most common odor they chose to represent in their model.)
I learned this past week that I will be moving up to teach 7th grade science, so I will be working with these students again next year. I'm really looking forward to watching and supporting them as they build on the foundations and practices we formed this year. Thank you again for being part of that learning and growing. Thank you for showing the students that there are plenty of people out their who believe they are important and worth supporting!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Symon