I teach junior high science in a rural district in Mississippi. My students come from small town, rural backgrounds that leave them lacking in "real life" experience in many areas. Science is one of these areas.
My students are fairly well versed in what a car is, what a computer is, can identify the space shuttle and recognize a train when they see one coming down the tracks that run through the middle of the local small town. Their life experiences have shown them these things.
What they don't understand is how any of these wonders actually WORK! That's where junior high science steps in. As part of our junior high curriculum, we study simple machines. One of the machines we study - and one that can be the most interesting and fun - is pulleys. But talking about pulleys or watching a video isn't the same as actually working in a group to connect a pulley system to lift a heavy load with a minimum of energy expended. Accomplishing this feat is akin to magic in the eyes of a child with limited life experience. And you, dear Donor, can bring that magic to fruition for my students.
What I need is a wonderful teaching tool that lets the students actually build a functioning pulley system. Many of my students have a lot of difficulty grasping abstract concepts without the aid of hands-on activities to supplement our class discussions. Having a pulley investigation kit in the classroom that all the students can use will solve this problem for the kids who need to "gets their hands around" the problem.
Your assistance in obtaining this teaching tool for my class will be a gift that is used many times over in the years to come. Each child that moves on to high school to study physics, and then to college to study engineering, will say a little "thank you" for your generosity that gave them the understanding they needed of the basics.
Only with a solid foundation in basics can they ever hope to excel in the advanced sciences they will have the opportunity to study in the future. A pulley investigation kit can increase their chances of understanding this topic by a factor of about 1000. That's a good return on a small investment!
Thank you for your support of my students. It is appreciated more than you will ever know!
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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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. Felder and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.