Past projects 8
From Ewww to Wow! - Understanding Neurons With Roaches
Funded Jan 28, 2023Thank you so much for your generosity in helping this class project be fulfilled. With 3 SpikerBoxes, about 6 roaches, and a LOT of patience we successfully stimulated some neurons!
I can't express HOW EXCITED the students were for this activity. There was a lot of cautious fascination in the weeks before we actually completed it, as the roaches were front and center in the classroom munching on leaves and whatever other snacks we provided them with to keep them alive. Students regularly checked on their test subjects and some sat watching them for minutes on end.
On the day of our Spiker Box Experiment, several brave students volunteered to remove hind legs from our stunned subjects and place them on the corkboard. We used various stimuli and watched the screen for spikes indicting activated neurons. The video shows roach neurons being stimulated by the electrical impulse provided by their music of choice - roach legs actually "danced"!
By turning off the speakers (so only the electrical impulse was being transmitted through the leg - students really understood that neurons work on electrical impulses (rather than confusing the roach leg movement with any actual "hearing" of the music.
Thank you so much for making this unique learning opportunity possible. The Spiker Boxes will be used again in the Fall for another cohort of Neuroscience students, and further exploration into neurons - I'm curious to see what the students can come up with!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
Our Labs are Destroyed! Help us Restock!
Funded Sep 13, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donation to our Science Lab Supplies. In the months since the explosion in August, the Science Department has been able to recover some materials as well as gather new supplies thanks to donors like you. Because of this, our curriculum has thankfully not suffered. We have been able to prepare and assign the same labs for the 10 courses that we as a Department teach every year to all Marble Hill students.
As you can see in the pictures, our students love labs! It is the most interactive, dynamic, and self-driven learning that our students do in the Science classroom. We hope to continue developing the minds of our blossoming Bronx scientists! This would not have been possible without your help. Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
Don't Throw That Away! Learning by Composting
Funded Aug 30, 2013Thank you so much for your generous donation. The Worm Factory will be a great addition to my classroom and I am positive my students will love to see the transition from waste to soil! I almost can't wait for school to begin so I can get these supplies!
Year after year my students provide feedback and the most common request is "more hands-on activities!" The Worm Factory compost bin will provide an ideal, hands-on learning experience through which students can understand decomposition.
I am so grateful for your generosity and dedication to science education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and one other donor.Subscription for Science Literacy
Funded Sep 9, 2012Thank you so much for your generous donation for my students. To date, we have received 6 issues of Science World Magazine and we love it.
There is a paucity of non-textbook readings available for science classes but Science World easily fills the void for so many disciplines within Science. I have used the magazines in my Environmental Science, Health AND Astronomy classes. In total, approximately 120 students have read Science World articles since September. The students are fully engaged in the articles they read, as I am able to select articles from each issue that are relevant to our curriculum. Most importantly, I have tied key literacy skills (The Seven Habits of Effective Readers) to each and every assignment that students complete when they read Science World articles.
Without your donation, our Science readings would come primarily from our dry textbooks. I am so thankful that students have numerous editions to Science World to read to expand their vocabulary and content knowledge.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 7 other donors.From Archaic, Ample Mac 2 Slim, Speedy Netbook: Lessons Flow
Funded Dec 9, 2011Thank you so much for your generous donation to my science classroom! I absolutely love the netbook that your donation has allowed me to work with. It has greatly streamlined my lesson preparation as well as my classroom lessons. Being a teacher, time is already so limited that having this netbook has made my life so much easier.
I have to recount an anecdote from when I first brought the netbook in. My first period students hovered around it and exclaimed at its size, then remarked "Now we won't have those 'technical difficulties' that you're always having!" This has since proven true. It no longer takes 10 minutes to start up a computer, and I don't have to worry about programs crashing. Students aren't distracted by idle time and I can get through my lessons!
Thank you again for your donation. I truly appreciate your generosity as do my students. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
A Clean Slate: Dry Erase Boards for Science Learning
Funded Dec 11, 2011Thank you so much for your generous donation to my science classroom. I can't believe I ever taught without them! The students love to use them and so do I.
The dry erase boards are now a routine addition to lessons and reviews. So far we have used them to review vocabulary, study for exams, and construct draft short responses to standardized test questions. I really enjoy using them because they allow for all students to participate and I can assess every student's understanding virtually at once! These boards are such a wonderful learning tool and I am so grateful for you donations, because otherwise I didn't have access to the fiscal resources to make such a purchase.
Know that your donation has made my students happy and greatly improved their learning. Every time we take out the boards they are eager to participate. Thanks so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
CSI-The Classroom: Students as Science Sleuths!
Funded May 3, 2011Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. With these environmental sampling kits, students were able to perform a lab exercise that brought real-world problems into the classroom by simulating a small-town environmental pollution mystery.
In our urban setting, we live disconnected from the natural world and the impact our actions have on the land, air, and water. With this kit, students were given an environmental problem (who contaminated the creek?) as well as the tools to discover the cause of the contamination. They were able to practice lab safety, hypothesis generating, sampling, and testing. All the students successfully identified the polluter (the residents of the town) and many recommended thoughtful, creative ways to prevent further contamination of the creek.
The kit was well designed, fully stocked, and highly adaptable to my student population. Under our current budgetary constraints, this resource would never be purchased. Yet, it gave my students the opportunity to practice valuable skills in lab safety, the scientific method, and critical thinking.
Your contribution turned a potentially dry lesson topic - human impact on the environment - into a dynamic, rich learning opportunity. My students and I sincerely thank you for your generosity and good taste!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T and 3 other donors.The World at Our Fingertips: Classroom Solar System Model
Funded Apr 17, 2011I wish to convey my sincerest thanks for you generous gift of a classroom solar system model kit for my 11/12th grade Astronomy class. With your help I was able to step up my lessons with hands-on activities that demonstrated the concepts being taught.
The kit you funded was chock full of resources that I was able to use for many lessons. I added lab activities to supplement lessons on meteorites, comets, Newton's Laws of Motion, and the planets of the solar system. One of the great things about this kit (for me) is that I can will be able to reuse the labs over and over again with only minimal replenishment of supplies. I am so grateful for this invaluable addition to my class resources.
My students particularly enjoyed the comet-making lab, for which we used dry ice and organic material to create a real-life comet in the classroom (pictures attached). The opportunity to work with dry ice and see its marvelous properties really had them excited about learning! After the lab, I allowed them to 'play' with the remaining dry ice and they independently discovered that dry ice made screeching sounds when touched my metals or graphite (pencil points). They were astounded! It was a wonderful class, and many students remarked in end-of-the-year evaluations that it was their favorite experience.
I hope this letter conveys to you the important impact that your contribution had to my class this year. Please continue to make donations to DonorsChoose.org - our students need these resources to supplement their learning! Again, please accept my heartfelt thanks for the kit and and resounding "Thanks!" from my students. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez