My students need to see that cymatics, the science of sound waves, in a fun hands-on lab to help them understand that music isn't just what we hear, but something we can see.
$583 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! 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 at our Title I school in Colorado Springs are an inquisitive, creative, and culturally diverse bunch! Most of them are 1st-3rd generation Mexican, but there are also many African-American, Caribbean, Asian, and Caucasian students due to our proximity to several military bases. Unfortunately, this also means that we have a highly transient community. We often have students experiencing difficulty with an absent parent, and in some cases, both parents.
We are a culturally-diverse G&T magnet and soon will be an Arts-Integrated designated school looking to grow the music program to be the best in the district!
These talented kids have done so much work and have grown lots in such a short time and deserve more than the non-existent budget allows for!
My Project
Using Chladni plates, colorful sand, and an electromechanical driver in a fun, hands-on lab will reach students who learn in many different ways and help them understand a complex science that they would easily be intimidated by if they were simply reading about it in a book. The Chladni plate is named after Ernst Chladni, who developed a means to "see sound" by hooking up an electromechanical driving base to a metal plate with fine sand on top. Whenever a frequency would sound, it would change the shapes and patterns the sand made on top.
With such an emphasis placed on the benefits of STEAM, this lesson bridges the gaps between science, technology, engineering, art, and math so students can see that music is an integral part of our everyday lives, and is not just what we hear on the radio.
I've done this lesson with my students from grades 2-8 in the past few years. Every single time, the students ask if and when we can get our own Chladni plate and do it as a lab. This time I'd like to be able to give them a lesson complete with a close-up demonstration!
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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. J. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
