Cosmic Variance

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It took a long time, but our class finally has our interactive whiteboard and projector. Since I now have the projector, I was able to use a donated document camera we have in our school which allows me to magnify and project student work in real time. In just a few short days, it has already changed the way in which I teach. I see more hands raised to participate and my once disinterested special education students are becoming the stars of the class. There are so many amazing learning resources on the Internet. My students come from very economically disadvantaged homes and many do not have computers or access to the Internet. Our classroom now affords them the opportunity to see images from around the world that we might take for granted.

So far, we've played fraction games, diagrammed sentences, modeled each others' writing, and researched India for our Indian dance recital later this year. It's remarkable how much we can accomplish.

Thank you all so much for making this happen. I am so lucky to have you all. Please know what a difference you have made.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Tomao

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to DonorsChoose.org and the sponsors that helped our project to become a reality. Your generosity is a testimony to your commitment to education and our youth. You are strengthening our future with your acts of kindness.

My students were so excited to receive the GoPro camera and temperature probe. The GoPro camera is state of the art and the 'camera of choice' for the balloon project we are working on. The pictures we were able to obtain were amazing. You can clearly see the edge of the sky- the darkness of space. We estimate the balloon reached a height of about 50,000 feet. Though our target height was closer to 100,000 feet the images the camera returned were breath-taking. (I will also mention the balloon camera package landed on top of a 1,000 foot high plateau in central/eastern Arizona (near Superior, Az). It took a week and three attempts by an expert climber (another teacher) to retrieve it.)

The temperature probe was also a great resource. It did do a great job recording the temperature (red line on the image). It showed a steady decrease in temperature, from about 30 C to about -20 C. It also recorded relative humidity and dew point.

Again, I want to thank you for your support of our research. We hope to be able to do many more launches in the near future in order to continue to investigate various aspects of our atmosphere. This is an amazing opportunity for my students to understand that real science is not easy and never goes exactly according to plan. They have spent a lot of time planning, researching, predicting and jerry-rigging in order to see this project get off the ground (literally). You support has been invaluable.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Johnson

Thank you for supporting my classroom through your generous donation. Your contribution funded a variety of laboratory supplies enabling students to conduct new inquiries. Students have been using the hook collars to hang fixed pulleys and create block and tackle systems to explore mechanical advantage of simple machines. I also really appreciate that my students now have proper thermometer clamps so chemistry labs can be conducted safely. Since my students are very musical, the tuning forks have been a big hit in exploring sound. In addition, the spectrum tubes have enabled the development of a new series of lessons for students to explore the life cycle of stars and our exploration of the Universe. By using spectroscopes along with the spectrum tubes, students will be able to discover why stars have different colors.

Physical science is a new course at our school so appropriate supplies are limited. Without your help, students would only get to read about stars instead of having access to models that enable discovery.

Your support illustrates that people care about our students' future. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Beckman

Thank you so much for your support of our project "The Universe is a Big Place". Though we teach Astronomy at our school, we have had no resources other than a text book. My students’ first request at the beginning of the year was to learn about the constellations. We have had fun researching the myths, the individual stars, and the star systems of the winter sky constellations. Even though it was freezing outside, our first "star party" was a success. My students have had so much fun learning how to use the equipment and actually applying what they had learned. We will soon begin researching the spring sky constellations as we are planning our next "Star Party" at the end of March. (We are hoping for warmer weather and clearer skies.) We are also blessed to have our cities Astronomical Society volunteer to join us to help further our knowledge on how to best utilize the binoculars and laser pen to search the night sky.

As you see your gifts have and will provide the hands on learning that will bring Astronomy "home" to my students. We all thank you from the bottom our hearts for your generous contributions. I am looking forward to many years of using the binoculars and sky laser with new and eager students. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Phillips

I cannot thank you enough for the materials you have helped provide for us in Astronomy. My students have been able to take the concept of astronomy and turn it into a hands-on learning adventure. We were able to take our telescopes to camp, to look at the moon both in the daytime as well as at night. We were also able to take what we learned from our constellation maps, and try to locate the stars and constellations in the night sky. To be able to take what we once had to just teach from a book, and give the students a chance to actually explore, has been more than I could have ever asked for.

These materials will be used for years and years to come, and will reach many of the fourth and fifth graders that come through my school. You have helped change how my students view and feel about science, making it accessible and enjoyable. This is an experience they are going to learn from, and take with them for the rest of their lives. Thank you for having such a wonderful and positive impact on my students!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Rudko

Our project has been funded thanks to the generous contributions of people like you. Thank you very much for your support and consideration for the education of America's New Generation of young Scientist.

With these valuable tools, we will be able to stretch the imaginations and learning capabilities of some very capable and talented young learners. They will in turn be better prepared to face the challenges of a technologically advanced world.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Byrne

On behalf of the students and faculty at Eisenhower, I again want to express my thanks for your support of my project. The resources have arrived and are in place. Students in each class are responsible for fact checking using the notebooks. It allows the students to immediately check answers for questions they have in class. We also use the notebooks to create charts and graphs as well as research topics and current events in class. I can only imagine the possibilities!!!! ”

With gratitude,

Mr. Conaway