Help me give my students hands-on engineering projects to apply concepts of electromagnetism, solar energy, and thermodynamics, including the sensors to accurately measure force and acceleration.
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
I teach physics to 21 juniors and seniors. My students are engaged during lessons, sharing ideas, and asking questions. In surveys, few of them are interested in physics or engineering as a major, but I am hoping to change that attitude over the course of the year. All my students identify as people of color and most come from low-income backgrounds; they will dramatically shift the current racial and socioeconomic makeup of physics and engineering fields.
Since virtual learning prevented hands-on projects, my class is emphasizing engineering; my students are building actual devices that minimize force, explore electromagnetism, and demonstrate energy conversions.
They work in teams to practice the collaboration that is essential for engineering, and they justify their decisions in writing and presentations.
My Project
Many of my students have not studied physics before, and have gaps in math from over a year of virtual learning. Hands-on engineering projects will allow them to explore concepts in multiple ways: learning the content, applying it to a device, testing and revising that device, and showing deep mastery not just of what they should know about physics but also of what they can do with physics and how engineering can shape our world for the better.
My students will apply science to real-world challenges and work in teams to analyze and revise engineering designs.
My students will not memorize random facts or formulas about electricity and magnetism; instead, they will build electromagnets to demonstrate the connection between those forces. Similarly, my students will explore heat transfer with specialized lab materials, measuring temperature changes with accuracy. My students will also design and build solar powered vehicles, a project with real-world implications for the battle against climate change. The projects are designed for collaborative learning which will also fill the social emotional needs of students who have been isolated during school closures.
I remember being taught science with worksheets and outdated textbooks, and I did not discover my passion for science until later in my career. These materials will make physics real for my students, and create the potential for a new generation of engineers from diverse backgrounds.
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. Bassier and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
