Help me give my students hands-on science lab tools such as pH paper and pH meters that they can use during STEM investigations to immerse themselves into and explore the world of chemistry.
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." -Carl Sagan
Preparing students for the world in which they live, and eventually will work, is extremely important.
Students need to learn how to become effective problem-solvers in real-world situations. Having access to technology is vital.
Our students have a strong desire to learn about the world we live in and love working on STEM projects. My science classroom is composed of diverse learners in a high poverty area. My students are very enthusiastic about school and have a thirst for learning. They are curious, funny, caring, loving, and imaginative.
I use many different learning pathways to help them understand the content on a deeper level. All my students are unique and have many different strengths; however, when any one of them has a piece of technology in their hands, they immediately become more engaged in the activity.
My Project
A pH meter provides a value as to how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The basic principle of the pH meter is to measure the concentration of hydrogen ions. Acids dissolve in water forming positively charged hydrogen ions (H+). The greater this concentration of hydrogen ions, the stronger the acid is.
Providing my students with pH paper and a pH meter would allow them to support their scientific claims not only with text evidence but also with actual quantitative and qualitative data collected during a hands-on lab investigation that will help solve a real-life application.
On a day-to-day basis, pH is used for everything from cooking to the maintenance of the body. It is also used for industrial purposes, such as determining the quality of drinking water. Water is considered to have a neutral pH, which means it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
My students are challenged with a number of real life scenarios that they need to solve that involve investigating pH values. My students use research from various forms of text to support their claims and also support their claim with data gathered from hands-on lab investigations. Providing these tools would greatly support and enhance engagement in these activities.
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
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