This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
The excitement in a child's eyes as she does experiments is thrilling! They come in each day questioning what activities the day will hold! Only by "hands-on" experiences will this knowledge of science stay with a child forever. The use of a thermometer is valuable to each of us every day, as well.
My school is located next door to the Housing Authority and is high poverty.
I see children who, in August, don't have enthusiasm for learning. However, when the "oohs and aahs" of experiments get them hooked, there is no stopping them! These students learn about the world from this classroom, as many do not travel nor have experiences afforded to those of higher socioeconomic status. My children deal with lots of issues in everyday life that most people cannot even imagine. School is the stability that a young life is happy for; their home away from the problems. I am never as excited as when I see the "light" come on in a child's mind and the excitement in his eyes as he discovers how the world works for himself. The Science content of Georgia is rigorous for an 8/9 year old. Do you remember learning about how heat travels? Do you know about conduction, convection and radiation? What makes the best insulator? These are some standards I use thermometers to teach. We need accurate ones!
My Project
My students need 2 student thermometers each for experiments. I need the demonstration and outdoor thermometer for recording and instruction. In our standards, we must investigate how heat moves and how to best trap it. We use thermometers (cheap, inaccurate ones) to compare cups of hot water that have been covered and/or wrapped in materials such as foil, wool, cotton, and newspaper. The children decide some of the items to test. We record the data and make a scientific conclusion about the best insulators. We also measure socks of various colors throughout the school day and record the differences in temperate to conclude that the absorption of energy gives of more heat for dark colors than for light colors. So which should you wear for Field Day in May? Reading a thermometer is a life skill we should all be adept at and picking appropriate clothes for the temperature is very important!
With cuts in budgets all over, I realize that our available funding is limited.
If I am doing experiments, I need to supply the children with accurate thermometers so that I can teach them the Scientific Method correctly. If we all get various temperature readings, the children are not able to draw the correct conclusions and my instructional time is spent trying to locate working thermometers. I could be using that time to guide students to the correct conclusions in comparisons of temperature.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Taylor and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.