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
This school year, I taught 11 brave and adventurous AP Physics students who have worked hard developing scientific reasoning skills; investigating motion, energy, and forces; and preparing for the AP Physics exam.
Next year, I have 35 students who have signed up to take AP Physics!
I'm encouraged that my current students liked my class enough to recommend it and that so many students are interested in potentially earning AP and college credit. Though I work at a public school in a low-income community, my students have high aspirations to attend college and are taking Advanced Placement courses to get a head-start on college credit. Starting up my Advanced Placement Physics program at my school over the past year has been a great learning experience--thanks in part to some of the basic lab equipment we've been blessed to receive through DonorsChoose.org!
My Project
Unfortunately, the three lab stations I secured for my 11 students last year will not be sufficient for the 35 who want to take AP Physics in the coming school year. A dynamics system equips students to explore and experience constant velocity and uniformly accelerated motion, momentum, energy, and rotational motion. Force sensors enable students to measure forces involved in circular motion and during collisions. Photogates allow a quantitative study of gravity, circular motion, and accelerations. In each case, once students have collected data, they graph it and apply their math skills to develop a mathematical equation to describe the relationship being studied. They share their results with the class and support their claims with experimental evidence. At that point, the class can reach consensus on the various relationships involved and deploy those relationships to solve real-world problems.
I'm excited to continue to build the growing AP Physics program at my school.
Research shows that students who take AP course work in high school are better prepared for college and are more likely to get their degree on time. I am encouraged that my students are taking steps to prepare themselves and set themselves up for success. Your contributions to this project will help ensure my students' experiences in AP Physics are positive and prepare them for success!
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. Stark and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
