Our young scientists and engineers include those with special needs or special education support requirements as well as gifted and talented students, including a few with experience in programming and robotics . Some are recent immigrants and receive language acquisition services. Thirty five languages are spoken in our school district.
Our policy is that "every student takes science" so there is only one level of 8th grade science.
This creates a very heterogeneous classroom. Helping them use technology safely and appropriately is emphasized.
We teach all our young scientists to collaborate, cooperate, think big and follow their dreams. We provide social and emotional learning programs for all our students that encourage empathy, kindness and cooperation.
Now they need your help!
My Project
As our curriculum transitions to the Next Generation Science Standards emphasizing phenomena, there is no more exciting example than a field trip to the surface of the planet Mars.
Utilizing NASA Mars Mission photography and databases, students will research the environmental and geological conditions on Mars, comparing and contrasting them with our Earth.
To focus their imagination they will build robots using Raspberry Pi and GiPiGo (a mobile robot platform based on open source hardware and software) as well as the sensors provided by Grove Pi (an Internet of Things platform based on open source sensor interfaces) and program these robots using the MIT Scratch software (a drag and drop block visual programming language). This technology platform can then be utilized to simulate the remote robotic exploration of Mars underway with the Mars rover, Curiosity.
Students will be challenged to accomplish specific mission objectives requiring the precise direction of their vehicle on a virtual Martian surface. The larger challenges and opportunity for growth will come from the need to collaborate, cooperate and problem-solve as a team to accomplish the Mars Mission.
To make this a truly immersive, imaginative experience we require Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality headsets to be used with existing smart phones to provide a stimulating visual experience. We are confident that we will engage student imagination and they will commit to a deeper learning experience than that provided in the typical classroom.
We will explore Newton’s four laws, while placing them in the larger context of the relationships between Mars and Earth. Seymour Papert taught us that "children learn best by following their curiosity (rover) and making things."
Our IEEE Connecticut Robotics and Automation Chapter volunteers and you can make this an out of this world experience for our students!
ETVR 3D VR Glasses Virtual Reality Headset for 3D Movies & VR Games with Stereo Adjustable Headphone Compatible with All IOS/Android Smartphones within 4.7-6.0 Inches
• Amazon Business
$24.99
12
$299.88
Newtonian Demonstrator
• Nasco
$15.26
6
$91.56
Second Law of Motion Apparatus
• Nasco
$19.72
2
$39.44
Materials cost
$430.88
Vendor shipping charges
$13.10
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$6.46
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$480.44
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$84.78
Total project goal
$565.22
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$565.22
6 Donors
-$307.61
Donations toward project cost
-$261.47
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$46.14
match offer
-$257.61
Match offer toward project cost
-$218.97
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. Felekey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.