The cost of a discharge electrode and a Van de Graaf Generator for this proposal is $314, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
You have probably heard the adage that lightning does not strike twice in the same place. Well, it could if I get a Van de Graaf generator for my classroom.
I teach seventh grade science at a rural middle school in North Carolina. This year alone I could reach and enhance instruction for almost two hundred students if I had a Van de Graaf generator. Science equipment is expensive and hard to come by. The “basics” are often supplied by the teacher and the “extraordinary” resources are never seen. Students miss out on some simple experiences that can enrich and motivate them in their studies.
This multipurpose generator can be used for a number of different demonstrations in my classroom. The foremost purpose is to demonstrate how static charges build up in the air and ground during thunderstorms, thus producing the static discharge we call lightning. This phenomenon can be recreated over and over in a matter of seconds.
The generator is also used to clarify the idea that opposite charges attract and like charges repel. The most captivating demonstration of this principle is when students have their hair stand on end as their bodies become statically charged - harmless but very effective. The generator also demonstrates how solar winds are created and how an electrical charge passes through fluorescent and neon light tubes.
The hands-on nature and versatility of the Van de Graaf generator make it a captivating and memorable method of teaching and learning some very basic scientific principles.
The basic setup consists of the Van de Graaf generator and a discharge electrode. Other accessories are available but they can be improvised with other material. I would like the opportunity to further motivate my students, in the present and in the future.
If you can help it will be most appreciated.
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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 Mr. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.