Help Upgrade Our Chemistry Lab for All with Computer Probes
Help me give my students 3 Vernier Gas probes to provide all my Chemistry students access computer lab experiments.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. V.'s classroom raised $399
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
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 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 44 students per class. We are not a private school, so in order to give these young students the best college prep environment, our science lab programs truly survive from donations and grants.
My Project
If you have ever been in a Chemistry classroom or observed one on TV, you likely saw students working together to tediously perform an experiment with traditional Chemistry lab instruments while constantly and carefully reading and recording the data.
For a several years now, thanks to DonorsChoose, I have been working to modernize the lab experience for my AP Chemistry & Chemistry students by providing them with modern computer-linked lab probe equipment.
Five years ago, a local university donated 20 used iMac computers to my class. And now, when COVID ends, we will have a newly constructed Chemistry lab. And thanks to contributors through DonorsChoose, we received many computer probes - much like your doctor's office digital thermometers or blood pressure instruments- for students to measure temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity. We are now requesting 3 more Vernier LabQuest Gas probes so all our classroom students may participate in modernized labs.
For example, in one gas law experiment we do, "Determination of Absolute Zero," students use a pressure gauge and a thermometer. One student reads the pressure at the exact same time that another reads the temperature and a third student records the data. In a second experiment, students connect pressure gauges to syringes and then read and record the pressure values that result from changes in volume. After each experiment, students must create graphs from the data for analysis and discussion.
If my students are provided with Vernier gas pressure sensors, students will be able to collect more precise lab data in less time. Computer probes record the pressures and temperatures and provide real-time graphs on screen, saving lab time, so students can focus on developing analysis skills. With your donations, our students will gain the technology and the experience to motivate and prepare them for college and careers.
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.
