LabQuests for Chemistry: Making Chemistry Come Alive
My students need access to technology to help us carry out chemistry labs and meet our state mandated standards that are tested at the end of our course.
My students are working hard to understand the complex world of chemistry. However, because we are lacking access to basic technology, we are often unable to see the forest for the trees - as students get bogged down in outdated equipment and its limitations.
My students are often the first in their family to finish high school and almost always the first to take chemistry.
We are a small, very rural school that serves a large population of free/reduced lunch students. My students are not only taking chemistry, but asking for AP Chemistry! In order to prepare these motivated students for not only their state test, but possibly AP, and certainly college, they need access to data collection technology. They are working so hard to understand the background concepts; it is heartbreaking to constantly have to 'pass' on labs that require data collection/analysis we can't do because of a lack of materials. We can be really creative when it comes to labs, but without the ability to take measurements, we are stuck in the 'look and see' realm of science rather than the 'analyze and synthesize' one - which is what they really need to be competitive.
My Project
We are asking for 2 LabQuest data collection units. These are AMAZING. In one small, handheld unit a student can take measurements (like temperature, pressure, pH, etc.) in real time, have it graphed and put into a spreadsheet that can then be plugged into a computer in the library for downloading into a report. If a student doesn't have access to a computer, they can work with the data on the LabQuest and then plug it right into a printer.
The LabQuest can be taken in the field, down the hall to the library, or used in the classroom right next to a lab set up.
We will use these to collect data for our thermochemistry unit, gas laws unit, to carry out quantitative titrations, and more! Right now we watch videos of these labs, or if we are lucky we do a computer simulation. This will really open the door for "wet-lab" opportunities that simply don't exist right now.
My students are doing more than anyone thought they could.
They are learning not only chemistry, but that they are capable of anything they put their minds to. We are pushing the envelope for these kids as far as we can to help them realize what they CAN be is not limited by where they came from. Funding this project will help us raise the bar even higher and help our kids see that we believe in their potential and will work hard to help them fully realize it.
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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 Mrs. Bowen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.