Maybe you can remember how boring it was to read the textbook and use prepared graphs on worksheets in science class. That kind of learning is just not meaningful for my students. My students need hands on learning and the chance to be creative.
My students live in an area of Mississippi where Katrina devastated the homes and businesses, and now we face the set backs from the oil flowing into the Gulf.
Many of my students still suffer from emotional distress from dealing with Katrina losses. Many of my students are the children of service men and women who serve overseas. Our school building is a very old structure that originally was an elementary school. The desks and chairs are wobbly, and my main bulletin board is made from cardboard attached to the wall. However, I find that my students are eager to learn and do well on their assignments and assessments. This is especially true when the assignment is hands on and lets them explore safely.
My Project
By having the support stands and clamps, my students will be able to create their own pendulums and use the data to make meaningful graphs. Then they can practice extrapolating the data. The students will practice following many experiment designs to use these tools to collect data and to graph their data for comparison. The students can also use common materials to design their own pendulum experiments to do inquiry learning. They will practice identifying controls and variables for their experiments. They will design, conduct, and analyze conclusions from an investigation that includes using experimental controls. The students will practice revising their hypothesis and see that experimental designs have limitations that must be taken into consideration.
My students need practice designing and analyzing experiments.
The pendulum experiments will help the students to learn and demonstrate many of our state's physical science standards. Doing these experiments will provide much needed practice in conducting experiments to prepare for all high school science classes especially physics.
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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. Hedrick and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.