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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Borstel from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Borstel is requesting

It's Electric!

My students need a battery, electrode, and other materials to conduct hands-on inquiries into conductivity.

  • $602 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. Borstel for her next project!

My Students

Voltaire said, "It is not the answers you give, but the questions you ask." I want my students to be able to ask questions and discover the answers through hands-on inquiry lessons. Discovering such things as conductivity of metals and solutions is only part of what they can learn with these materials.

I have 172 wonderful 8th grade students who are eager to learn about the world around them.

They are curious and fascinated by what we have discussed so far. They desperately want to have more opportunities for hands-on experiences than we can provide on a limited budget. The state standards include learning about elements, and learning that elements can be classified by their properties such as thermal and electrical conductivity.

My Project

Confucius said, "I do and I understand." Imagine setting up a lemon battery for the first time. You poke the zinc and copper into the lemon and connect the electrodes to a small light bulb. Sure enough, the bulb starts to glow! What would you try next? Other fruit? Or perhaps you wonder if other metals will also cause the bulb to light? Put water into a jar and connect the electrodes to a battery;the bulb doesn't glow. Perhaps water doesn't conduct electricity? As you gradually add salt to the water, you start to see the the bulb burn a little brighter. Maybe your next test will be to see if other solutions will conduct electricity. Perhaps you try sports drinks or sodas. Which ones work? You use the conductor rod to see which metal conducts heat the fastest. As you can see, there are many hands-on experiences directly related to the state standards of thermal and electrical conductivity that my students will be able to experience if they have the appropriate materials.

Help foster a love of science by providing the materials for these hands-on experiences.

As we move towards sending humans to Mars and beyond, it is current middle school students that will travel to these exciting places. They will be the builders of the next generation of spaceships and satellites, the discoverers of a cancer cure, or champions of the environment. By piquing their curiosity now, we can nurture and encourage their interest in future science education. Thank you.

Mrs. Borstel Miraleste Intermediate School Grades 6-8

More about Mrs. Borstel

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA View local requests 172 students impacted 9donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
A Demo A Day Chemical Demonstration Book • Nasco $42.15 1 $42.15
Conductivity of Solution Test • Nasco $9.65 10 $96.50
Battery Electrodes Copper • Nasco $15.55 2 $31.10
Battery Electrodes Zinc • Nasco $15.50 2 $31.00
Banana Plug Cords with Alligator Clip 24" • Nasco $9.50 4 $38.00
Conductivity Water Tester • Nasco $30.55 2 $61.10
Voltaic Cell • Nasco $29.25 1 $29.25
Conductometer • Nasco $8.25 8 $66.00

Materials cost

$395.10

Vendor shipping charges

$39.51

Sales tax

$36.15

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.93

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$511.69

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$90.30

Total project goal

$601.99

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$601.99

6 Donors

-$600.22

Donations toward project cost

-$511.69

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$88.53

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$1.77

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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