My students need basic science lab supplies to begin the school year: yeast, distilled water, food coloring, acetone, cornstarch, hydrogen peroxide, sodium polyacrylate, lycopodium powder, toluidine blue, a plasma globe, droppers, a Slinky, a stirrer, a pencil sharpener, and a Newton’s cradle.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. S.'s classroom raised $578
This project is fully funded
There's no better way to study science than with hands-on science labs and impressive demonstrations! We need basic lab materials to restock our science classroom for the beginning of the school year: yeast, distilled water, food coloring, acetone, cornstarch, hydrogen peroxide, sodium polyacrylate, lycopodium powder, toluidine blue, a plasma globe, droppers, a Slinky, a stirrer, a pencil sharpener, and a Newton’s cradle. All of these materials we will use in labs and demonstrations to see science in action.
I teach science to over 100 middle school students at a K-8 elementary school in an urban district. Over 80% of our students come from low-income households. 1 in 9 of our students is learning English as a second language, and 15% of our students receive some kind of special education services.
My students truly love exploring science and ask for more and more demonstrations and labs. I continue to search for ways to make their learning more engaging and connected to real-life experiences. Because of the high number of English language learners and special education students, it is especially important for me to present science in a concrete way. Furthermore, students must be introduced to real-life science if they are to be prepared for college.
We can use yeast in a lab to study alcoholic fermentation. We can use sodium polyacrylate to explore polymers, make and test predictions, and brainstorm everyday uses for this special material. We can use toluidine blue to stain slides of onion roots so that we can observe the different stages of mitosis under a microscope. We can use the Newton’s cradle to explore laws of motion. And what science teacher can live without a supply of food coloring that comes in handy when teaching about diffusion, pollution, density, convection, sedimentation and so many other processes? Indeed, ALL of the materials on this wish list can and will be used in a specific lab (or more than one lab) that will help us learn about a scientific ideas and put the scientific method in action!
In college, students will be expected to complete extensive lab reports and work in laboratories--no matter what majors the students choose! With these supplies, we can practice performing authentic labs and writing real lab reports. It will take work on my part to scaffold the lab activities so that students can write down
procedures, develop hypotheses, and record their observations and conclusions. College professors and high school teachers will expect these things of my students. I must prepare them now!
Your support will ensure that my students receive a science education that includes hands-on exploration and exciting opportunities to make observations and connections to important science content. You will also inspire students to pursue science learning in high school and in college.
This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.
Nearly all 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
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