Classroom Project

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"I am an AP and Honors Chemistry teacher at an urban school in Illinois. In our district, science education has traditionally been more lecture/worksheet than laboratory-based, mostly because of lack of resources. I am continually challenging myself to change their experience to infuse more hands-o... MORE

"I am an AP and Honors Chemistry teacher at an urban school in Illinois. In our district, science education has traditionally been more lecture/worksheet than laboratory-based, mostly because of lack of resources. I am continually challenging myself to change their experience to infuse more hands-on activities. This year, I aim to involve students in more inquiry activities rather than providing "cookie-cutter" protocol labs.

An important feature of any chemistry lab is electronic balances. Unfortunately, the ones we have only go to one decimal place (0.1g), which is not accurate enough to do many chemistry experiments. I do have one analytical balance (0.0001g precision) that was donated by my family, but having every student use that scale slows down the progress of my class significantly and prevents completion of our labs within our 43 minute class periods. Though this would not represent a scale for every lab group, it would allow several groups to share an individual scale.

The kind of authentic educational experiences developed in an inquiry-based science classroom are essential to independent and creative thought. Your donation would enhance this kind of learning so that my students can gain acceptance to a college, graduate from high school, and have foundational skills to finish college.

Additionally, your generosity would allow me to continue to bridge the achievement gap between well- and under-resourced schools. HIDE