Past projects 5
Pursuing STEM Careers via Reading
Funded Jun 29, 2015I cannot thank you enough for making the purchase of these books possible. Not only do they focus on the lives of real scientists, but they also focus on women in science.
Frequently, students' preconceptions about "scientists" are old white men with curly "Einstein" hair wearing lab coats mixing chemicals behind a lab bench. Unfortunately, this is not the norm. Reading your books has helped my students understand the real work of scientists - in the lab but also out in the real world (in the field as they say).
Too often, girls become disengaged with Science. One of the root causes is that they do not see other females engaged in Science. At our school we have started to have female scientists in the Boston area come into school and teach our students about what they do. Your books have helped enrich this experience even further. When our girls can see or read about other people like themselves in the profession, that makes them more likely to stay engaged.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Mark
Costa Rica Adventure
Funded Apr 1, 2014Well our trip to Costa Rica was a major success... in part thanks to your generous donations! We spent each day exploring and learning about the tropical ecosystem in which we lived for one week in June. Each evening after dinner we settled down for bed by reading "Endangered" together as a group.
We would read a few chapters and then students would be assigned a few chapters to finish by the next evening. It was great to see kids lounging around the next day in hammocks reading quietly to themselves, or gathered around picnic benches by the beach reading in self-organized small groups. One of my favorite days was when we took a boat ride to a favorite snorkeling spot, and the students started a discussion about what they thought was going to happen in the book next!
On top of the obvious benefits of having students read, the book itself so richly complemented our experience. It leaves me speechless that one day we saw white-faced Capuchin monkeys swinging through tree tops, only to hike back to our camp to find black Howler monkeys feasting in nearby trees, and later read about the interaction between a girl and her new-found Bonobo friend. The book provided a cohesive experience and I look forward to using it for many years to come on our adventures in Costa Rica.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Mark
Density Demos
Funded Mar 1, 2014To all who have helped my classroom become a more engaging environment, I could not be more appreciative. I have specifically used the aquarium tanks as a way for students to engage with the ideas of density. Density is an important topic for students to master in my 7th grade classroom. We continue to use it in the 8th grade Science curriculum, and students will not doubt need to understand the concept in high school and in many real life situations.
The best way for me to explain what your generosity has been able to provide my students is by describing the following scenario: Students walk into class and see a huge aquarium filled to the brim what water. Beside the tank is a can of Coca Cola and a can of Diet Coke. The students place each can into the aquarium and while the Coca Cola sinks, the Diet Coke floats. The rest of the class is spent discussing possible reasons for this behavior. Students examine the composition of each can, the contents of the liquid inside, and other properties. The students end up concluding that due to the large amount of sugar in the Coca Can, it's increased mass causes the can to sink.
All sounds good and well to the untrained to eye - however, this is all about to change. When I tape together 6 cans of Diet Coke, definitely outweighing the one solo can of Coca Cola, students all hypothesis that since the mass has increased, the Diet Cokes will now sink. Imagine their amazement when the Diet Cokes still float! This activity elicits more "oohs" and "ahhs" than almost any other "cool" Science experiment I do all year! Students soon realize that something beyond mass must explain the sinking/floating behavior of the cans, which leads us to our study of density.
So again, let me just say how your overwhelming support has made my classroom come alive. Part of my job is to inspire curiosity, and I thank you for all making that possible in some way.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Mark
Inspiring Future Engineers
Funded Nov 28, 2012Thank you all for the generous contributions to our classroom. Without your support we would not have been able to have such an amazing engineering experience. Our state standards require students to learn about the types of bridges as well as the forces involved when building bridges. The hands on experience that we were able to obtain as a result of YOU gave my students more than just factual knowledge; it allowed them to experience the standards physically and in a fun way. Such interaction is known to improve student understanding as well as retention of topics. Thank you for giving my students this opportunity. I know they enjoyed it immensely.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Mark
Participation for ALL!
Funded Oct 3, 2012My students and I thank you immensely for your contribution to our classroom. The wipe boards and dry erase markers have been used AT LEAST once per week since we received them. Not only do the kids enjoy using them because they're something different than the usual pencil-to-paper classwork, but I am able to to quickly check student understanding and target those who are incorrect.
People like you make our schools better places. With budget cuts severely affecting many schools in our country, and especially inner city schools with low income and minority student populations, your donation has helped to reduce the negative impact on my students. I hope you continue to support education. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Mark