Bad Astronomy Science-a-thon 2010

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Of all the projects I have put out on the DonorsChoose website, this is my all-time favorite. Thank you so much for funding this fantastic resource. Our new skeleton is the star of the school, spending time in both our music and science classrooms. Whenever he is in the room, the students flock to him.

Today I was using him in one of my band classes to teach the students about posture and a group of students began discussing the parts, asking questions and were so engaged in learning that the class period seemed to fly by... all without any prompting from me. What a wonderful dynamic classroom our new friend helps to create!

So please accept my heartfelt thanks for your generosity. This resource will be a permanent fixture in our school and enthrall thousands of students for many years to come!

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Nelson

Through your generous contribution my students have been able to learn about the skeletal system through the most wonderful of hands-on experiences. Instead of rote memorization, they have learned skeletal structure through use and direct contact which leads to deeper understanding and learning. They not only constructed their own free-standing animal skeleton but were able to compare the differences in bone structure to those of a human as they worked through a forensic science puzzle. They take pride, not in filling in names on a piece of paper, but walking the room, picking up random bones and naming not just the bone but the individual structures found on it. Your generosity has given my students a truly memorable learning experience. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Reichenbach

I wish to thank you for the funding of my project. These netbooks will help my junior high students in many ways, not only in the science curriculum, but also through the use of this technology for many projects in all subject areas.

The tools that you have funded have enabled the students to research science concepts and analyze their data during various experiments. This technology is helping students find answers to their own questions and to find a deeper understanding of the science concepts. During the past few weeks, students have been using these computers for a class research project in space science. Also, many students have been aided by the technology during the design of projects for a conference Science Olympiad competition.

We also have several interdisciplinary projects planned for this year and the students will be using these computers for these projects. Thank you again for your generosity. I know that this will make a huge impact in the student learning in my science classroom. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Alcaraz

Words cannot thank you enough for your donation to our classroom!! Science is an area that is very important in elementary school. If students are not given the proper foundation in elementary school then they find it harder to understand the concepts in middle and high school. The science kits came into our classroom yesterday and the students were very excited! As I opened up the boxes the students eyes got wider and wider as they saw what was inside of the science kits. I em excited to start using them next week!!!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Lockett

Thank you so much for your generous donation. As a teacher of young children, I realize the importance of hands-on learning and the ability of students to investigate their world. I believe true learning starts with quality materials and with your help, my students were enriched further through the science materials donated.

From the moment the packages arrived, the children were so excited to be able to play with the new materials. Their first introduction to the materials involved a unit on the five senses. They played a game of sorting objects based upon sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. The materials included magnifying glasses and a variety of bugs and the children have played with these materials for several weeks now. Each day, my students cannot wait to see who gets to be in the "science center." I love to hear them ask, "Who gets to be the scientist today?"

The packages also included big books about seasons, bugs, and growing things. During the month of January, we are talking about winter weather and exploring snow, changes in temperature, and appropriate clothing for types of seasons. Other materials included in the packages are a sink and float game, measuring cups/spoons, scales, and a color mixing game, which will continue learning throughout the year and will benefit future students that come into my classroom.

These materials have inspired me to be a better teacher. I find ways to incorporate science each day within my lesson plans. I have always wanted to present science to my kids, however, with limited funds and materials, my desire to teach science sometimes went to the bottom of my priority list. Thankfully, with these amazing materials, science has returned to the top of my list as a subject worth exploring and presenting to my students.

”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Blankenship

As I mentioned before in my initial letter, the impact of your generous donation goes far beyond the classroom. However, I had no idea just how substantial that impact would be. On the day the document camera arrived, my students and I opened the box together. They were amazed at the size of the document camera and all of the things that I told them it could do. I think they expected it to be a huge piece of equipment! Let me remind you that 90% of the children had never seen or used a document camera before. They were ready to try it out immediately!

I sat at our new document camera with the kids gathered around to do, what I thought, would be a simple demonstration. I wasn't prepared for how excited they would be. Most of them wanted to put their hands under the camera to see the enlarged version. Some of them simply wanted to make shadow puppets. When it came to using the camera to share some of their work though, most of them were extremely anxious. It was bittersweet to think that with the help of your donations, I was providing their first opportunity to see their work enlarged on the big screen. I say bittersweet because at nine years old, these children should have had far more experience with technology. However, as the process went on, the anxiety passed, and a spark of hunger for more access to technology began. Within a couple of days, eight of my students had worked on extra credit writing projects simply because they wanted to use the document camera. Some of these students are kids who before, would much less turn in any homework at all, and were now doing EXTRA work at home!

As much I as I could, I've tried to capture the look of complete amazement on the children's faces as they used the document camera to share their work. I could not, however, capture for you the gasps, the sounds of Oh! and Ah!, and the squeals of delight. They were absolutely precious, and I will hold them in my memory for years to come. Again, I cannot put into words how grateful we are for your generous, selfless, donations. Beyond anything else, you have made a substantial difference in the lives of these children because they realize that there are people in the world who genuinely care about them. Thank you from the bottom of our twenty-four hearts. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Swanson

I am with abundant gratitude for your most gracious donation to my classroom. The science materials have brought fun, excitement and meaning to the learning environment of my classroom. Students are using these materials with all our units of study relating to science. They love wearing the goggles as they do various experiments. They feel like real scientist. Other materials you provided such as eyedroppers, hand magnifiers, thermometers, cylinders, beakers, and measuring tapes have provided opportunity for students to be challenged in their learning experience. It has been easy to keep students engaged and excited about learning thanks to these new manipulatives.

Our school, like many other schools has faced a budget shortfall that is likely to extend into next year. Without your help my students would not have the opportunity to experience learning with these types of materials. Also, future students will continue to benefit from these materials.

Without donors like you, many students across our country would go without.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Peturis

I cannot thank you enough for your generosity in donating lab aprons and disposable gloves for my students. I am touched by your generous display of caring about these awesome young people I have the pleasure of teaching every day. They are quite a remarkable group of students and are quite proud of their new lab safety attire. They are so excited now to know they all have appropriate safety equipment so that they can all be allowed to participate in lab experiences. I am thrilled to turn science over to them and let them experience it for themselves, after all, that is what science is really all about.

You should also know that your donation has done more than fulfill a need for supplies. It has given me the opportunity to teach my students about caring for their fellow man. You have shown them that you have a genuine concern for their safety, even though you do not know them personally. They take such good care of the new supplies, too. Knowing that someone cared enough to purchase new equipment for them really means a lot. Thank you again for making all of this possible.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Montgomery