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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Sanderfer from San Jose, CA is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Mrs. Sanderfer's classroom raised $570

The Nature of Light - Optics and the EM Spectrum

My science class needs some optical components, lenses, prisms, color filters, and an optical ray box. These materials are needed to teach the unit on “Light, Lenses, and the Electromagnetic Spectrum”.

Classroom photo
Mrs. Sanderfer Monroe Middle School
San Jose, CA Grades 6-8

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I teach seventh grade life science in Northern California. Next year, I will be teaching both 7th grade life science and 8th grade physical science. The school has 876 students with an API score of 734/6. The school has a 51% Hispanic student population; 45% of the students are on the free/reduced lunch program and 24% of the students are limited English proficient. Almost half of my students fall into the low social economic group. Many of their parents work multiple jobs and are not proficient in English. My class parents and I voluntarily contribute to the class science fund but our funds are very limited. We would greatly appreciate your donation.

My science class needs some optical components, lenses, prisms, color filters, Newton’s color disc, and an optical ray box. These materials are needed to teach the unit on “Light, Lenses, and the Electromagnetic Spectrum”. In our unit, we cover some very abstract concepts – concepts that are sometimes very hard for students to visualize. Imagine being 12 years old and trying to visualize concepts such as electromagnetic waves, refractions, reflection, scattering, and light bending through a medium. Currently, the highlight of the unit and to understand how the human eye works, my class dissects fresh cow eyes. This lab is funded by my students' parents and through my donations – leaving no budget to purchase other needed equipment for this unit. The cow eye dissection is such a unique learning experience for my students that it’s worth every penny.

I am hoping through your generous donations to augment this unit with hands-on labs and keep the cow eye dissection lab. For example, students can investigate the difference between concave and convex lenses and how they are used to improve vision, observe how white light is comprised of all the color of the rainbow by looking through a prism, and observe how light is bent differently when passing through a concave/convex lens by using an optical ray box. These activities will deepen their understanding on how the eye works before they dissect the cow eye. Its yet an other opportunity of layering the concepts.

Through your generous donation, my students can learn these concepts by engaging in inquiry based science labs instead of reading about it in a book or filling out worksheets only. It will add a deeper dimension to their understanding by allowing them to discover that light bends when passing through a triangular vs. semicircular lens, white light is composed of different colors (wavelengths), and understanding how rainbows are formed. These supplies are reusable, will be shared among the two science teachers, and will serve approximately 300 students for many years.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More than half of students from low‑income households

300 students impacted 12 donors
Mrs. Sanderfer Monroe Middle School Grades 6-8

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

San Jose, CA View local requests

More than half 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

300 students impacted 12donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
REPLACEMENT SCREEN • Carolina Biological Supply Company $2.25 1 $2.25
REPLACEMENT LAMP • Carolina Biological Supply Company $5.95 1 $5.95
RIVE RAY BOX • Carolina Biological Supply Company $129.95 1 $129.95
EQUILATERAL PRISMS, 75MM • Carolina Biological Supply Company $6.95 4 $27.80
ACRYLIC LENS SET,50MM • Carolina Biological Supply Company $11.75 2 $23.50
OPTICS SET • Carolina Biological Supply Company $22.95 1 $22.95
MIRROR SUPPORT,PK/6 • Carolina Biological Supply Company $5.25 3 $15.75
COLOR FILTER SET • Carolina Biological Supply Company $13.95 1 $13.95
COLOR FILTERS, 4 INCH • Carolina Biological Supply Company $10.30 1 $10.30
PRISM SET • Carolina Biological Supply Company $33.75 1 $33.75
DOUBLE CONVEX,38MM,10CM • Carolina Biological Supply Company $3.10 3 $9.30
LASER PRISM SET • Carolina Biological Supply Company $79.95 1 $79.95

Materials cost

$375.40

Vendor shipping charges

 $37.54

Sales tax

 $27.22

3rd party payment processing fee

$9.39

Fulfillment labor & materials

$17.00

Total project cost

$467.00

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$102.51

Total project goal

$569.51

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $569.51

10 Donors

-$549.41

Donations toward project cost

-$467.00

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$82.41

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$20.10

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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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 Mrs. Sanderfer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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