Physics students need to experience Mechanics with hands-on labs. Vernier LabQuests are the missing link.
My students come from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds.
Our school is a high-performing public school with a diverse student body and limited resources. We rely on parents and outside support during tough economic times to maintain our high standards and rigorous curriculum. Many of my students intend to go into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. They are excited about physics. I do my best to create engaging, hands-on experiences that will teach the CA standards, while preparing students with critical writing, math, and analytical skills they will need in college. I teach five sections of Physics: three AP Physics and two regular Physics. All five sections will benefit from this equipment.
My Project
The Physics class currently shares a set of eight LabQuests with the entire high school science department. This means that when a biology or chemistry class is doing a lab using Vernier probeware, we cannot do a Vernier physics lab on the same day. A set of LabQuest minis will enable us to do many more hands-on labs using Physics probeware such as force and motion sensors. With sensors, students can quickly graph data on computers, see the results, and analyze data trends immediately.
The other materials I am requesting may at first appear to be a random assortment of items. The kids' wooden blocks illustrate an Energy analogy from the great physicist Richard Feynman; the physical therapy bands are for an introduction to spring forces; the hopper balls are for our Physics 500 lab in the first week of school; the roll of blue paper is for a river-crossing problem demo and also background for our Physics Photos bulletin board; and this request includes many more useful small items.
My students need more experiences gathering and analyzing physical data.
We have the probeware and we have the laptops. These LabQuest minis are the missing link between probeware and laptops.
I would like to be considered for the Chevron Fuel Your School Challenge.
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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. R. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.