Could You Please Provide Weight Sets For My Physics Lab?
My students need three weight sets to use for experiments in our Physics lab.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. V.'s classroom raised $390
This project is fully funded
Celebrating 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.
My Students
Physics labs offer high school students a great motivation to pursue excellence in the challenging math/algebra-based physical sciences. To build students who won't shy away from challenges they will face in college science, medical, or engineering programs, we must maintain appealing lab programs.
Our urban public high school is as diverse racially, culturally, and economically as our large metropolitan city.
Our student population is by majority Hispanic (70%), followed by Asian, White, Black, Pacific Islander, and various other groups. Almost all of my students classify in our state's lowest economic category, which qualifies them for financial assistance such as reduced lunch and free tutoring programs. For nearly 50% of my students, the primary language that their family speaks at home is not English. Many of our students were classified as ESL students (English as a Second Language) when they began high school, but have now been reclassified as English Proficient.
Due to funding cuts, science classes at our public high school have recently increased to average sizes of 47 students per class. We are not a private school, so in order to give these young students an updated, college-prep lab experience, our science lab programs truly survive from donations and grants.
My Project
Many Physics experiments require that student groups have access to weight sets. The weight sets that we use contain 10-15 metal cylinders that range from 2 grams up to 1 kg. Most weight sets that I currently use are durable and have lasted many years.
But as classroom sizes continue to increase, teachers are often faced with a dilemma. The teacher must ask himself or herself, "In order to share our lab equipment during a class period, is it better to organize students into lab groups of 6-8 students each, or is it better to buy more equipment so that students can work in groups of 3-4 students each?" In my public school experience, I have seen science class sizes increase from 32 to 37 to 42, and now to 47 students per class.
With three additional weight sets, more students will experience better access to these Physics lab investigations: Static/Kinetic Friction; Forces in Elevators; Friction and Inclined Planes; Mechanical Advantage of Simple Machines; Centripetal Force; Mass: Inertial and Gravitational.
Support that public schools receive through DonorsChoose programs is making a great impact on improving the classroom science lab environment in these trying economic times.
The greatest benefit that will come to my students is an improved, inspiring Physics lab experience that prepares them to pursue science in their colleges and careers. To maintain the lab experience for my students, our school must rely on and survive on donations and grants. We truly appreciate anything you can do! Thanks.
More than three‑quarters 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
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 Mr. V. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
