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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Lopez del Castillo from Bronx, NY is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Lopez del Castillo is requesting

Physics Phor Real: Injecting Life into Learning

My students need 21 physics materials, from Dynamics Carts and Friction Blocks to Tuning Forks and Diffraction Gratings.

  • $1,093 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Lopez del Castillo for her next project!

Help Ms. Lopez del Castillo

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Lopez del Castillo for her next project!

Welcome to one of only 14 classrooms in my school district offering Physics to high school students, and the only classroom servicing an all-girls student body. In college, I remember being a minority in my engineering classes, I remember hearing about the lack of female participation in STEM careers, I remember struggling to understand how to manipulate equations to solve for velocity; 5 years later, I teach high school students who face those same struggles and odds every day. Not only do my students face the struggles of growing up in a high-needs community, but they have little to no hands-on experience in science due to a lack of lab supplies, and struggle to grasp the basic mathematical concepts needed to support their learning in my class. Please help me make this Physics class come to life by providing my students with basic, clear examples of how Physics works and by allowing them to explore hands-on.

I began the Physics program at my school last year, with nothing beyond the knick-knacks I put together from supplies at Home Depot to demonstrate these new and intriguing ideas to my students. I watched them struggle, with no concrete examples to bolster this exploration into a new realm of science. Towards the end of the year, I was able to conduct an inquiry-based experiment on Conservation of Energy, and I saw the light bulbs go off. My students had understood this so quickly, because they discovered it for themselves. Now in my second year teaching Physics, it is my goal to make these "ah-hah" moments a weekly occurrence in my Physics class. I hope that by inspiring my students to have a passion for Physics, they will pursue college careers in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology. I also believe that the problem-solving skills they will learn through a more hands-on approach will help them be successful in their first years as university students, and help ensure that they do not become frustrated and drop out due to lack of experience with critical thinking projects.

It would cost thousands of dollars to equip a Physics laboratory with the state-of-the-art equipment needed to do accurate, in-depth Physics experiments. However, for less than $1000.00, you can purchase a small set of basics that will allow some of the more complex concepts of Physics, such as projectile motion, induction, resonance, and refraction, to come alive for the students. I have requested what I believe are the most essential pieces needed for students to attempt Physics for themselves, hands-on. Since I won't have enough for the whole class to work on them at once, I will employ stations when I introduce new topics, so that some students can use the equipment while others read or do problems related to the topic. Then students will rotate so that they can all have a chance to learn with their hands as well as their minds. If a student can see that two particles with like charges move away from each other, instead of just knowing this, you have just made Physics concrete for them, and often this will lead to passion and curiosity that will keep them motivated to succeed.

You can never really measure the impact that this proposal could have on my students, short of following them for a few years after they graduate and hearing their stories of how their High School Physics class inspired them to become the technological leaders of tomorrow. Physics is a mystery to most people in our country, and to make it real for our youth is an incredible, lasting gift that will enrich their lives forever. Please, take advantage of this chance to broaden the horizons and light a flame of curiosity in our most important natural resource; our students.

Ms. Lopez del Castillo Women's Academy of Excellence Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Lopez del Castillo

Bronx, NY View local requests

More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

75 students impacted 2donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Lopez del Castillo is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Student Induction Kit • Frey Scientific, Inc. $9.45 1 $9.45
Concert Pitch or Physics Scale Tuning Fork Set • Frey Scientific, Inc. $59.00 1 $59.00
Light Box & Optics Activity Set • Frey Scientific, Inc. $79.95 1 $79.95
Electricity Discovery Kit • Frey Scientific, Inc. $18.55 1 $18.55
Physics Balls, Steel, Solid, .875" • Frey Scientific, Inc. $1.65 1 $1.65
Physics Balls, Steel, Solid, .625" • Frey Scientific, Inc. $1.20 1 $1.20
Physics Balls, Aluminum, Drilled, .75" • Frey Scientific, Inc. $3.55 1 $3.55
Physics Balls, Wood, Drilled, 1", Pack of 3 • Frey Scientific, Inc. $5.20 1 $5.20
Easy Science Demos and Labs: Physics • Frey Scientific, Inc. $23.00 1 $23.00
Ballistics Pendulum • Frey Scientific, Inc. $39.95 1 $39.95
Rotating Platform • Frey Scientific, Inc. $54.00 1 $54.00
Friction Blocks and Surfaces • Frey Scientific, Inc. $19.65 1 $19.65
Matter and Forces Poster • Frey Scientific, Inc. $8.95 1 $8.95
Practical Physics Labs Resource Manual • Frey Scientific, Inc. $25.00 1 $25.00
Collision in 2-D • Frey Scientific, Inc. $14.10 1 $14.10
Frey Economy Free Fall Tube • Frey Scientific, Inc. $82.00 1 $82.00
Dynamics Carts • Frey Scientific, Inc. $83.00 2 $166.00
Ballistics Car • Frey Scientific, Inc. $84.00 1 $84.00
Snaky Spring • Frey Scientific, Inc. $13.75 1 $13.75
Resonance Tubes - 90 cm x 3.8 cm • Frey Scientific, Inc. $59.00 1 $59.00
Convection Demonstrator • Frey Scientific, Inc. $27.70 1 $27.70

Materials cost

$795.65

Vendor shipping charges

 $79.57

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$11.93

Fulfillment labor & materials

$9.00

Total project cost

$896.16

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$196.72

Total project goal

$1,092.88

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $1,092.88

1 Donor

-$993.44

Donations toward project cost

-$814.62

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$178.82

match offer

-$99.44

Match offer toward project cost

-$81.54

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$17.90

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Lopez del Castillo and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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