My students need a spectrum tube set for studying the elements!
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Finney's classroom raised $412
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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
Our school serves an urban, low income population of recent immigrants who are classified as English language learners, or ELLs. These young people are from diverse nations, religious faiths and life experiences
Some enjoyed consistent schooling in their own countries, while others had their education interrupted by civil war, famine and economic disruption.
The common thread they share is our school, which brings this unlikely community together to learn, grow and work towards their own version of the American dream. One of the persistent challenges in teaching in such a heterogeneous environment is reaching everyone 'where they are.' Science can be an abstract concept for native English speakers, and the vocabulary creates a significant barrier between these kids and their understanding of nature. To meet this challenge, we rely heavily on hands-on experiences that both provide kids a chance to develop new science understandings, as well as a tangible context for learning a rich English vocabulary. For teaching astronomy, we have a couple telescopes, but don't have funds to purchase tools appropriate to all the circumstances for which we need them.
My Project
Given reduced school budgets, we are feeling pressure to trim rather than increase the types of materially rich classrooms we know can engage and inspire young people. Each Fall, a number of students volunteer to give up a 'study hall' period to enroll in an additional science course to study astronomy. This course not only supplements the science courses our school can offer, but it additionally serves as a 'test bed' to develop new curriculum for the eleventh grade physics course. In an observational science like astronomy, kids can experience directly the same fundamental principles that practicing scientists do. Among the most most important pieces of information in the discipline is the nature of the spectrum, which allows inference about the composition of stars. Like the tubes that illuminate neon, we can compare the spectra for various gases, then use that to learn about the lives of the stars. With the tool, kids could DO science, not just read about it.
With your support, you can bring the stars within reach.
Hand-on experiences will not only open their minds to unimagined career possibilities, they will build confidence in the skills they will need to pursue further study in astronomy in college. Our university partners are available to provide the expertise, but we need a little help to get the materials we need in place. Please help make this dream a reality!
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
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. Finney and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NY","teacherPossessivePronoun":"his","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":4,"name":"High School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/shine-a-light-on-science/399007/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":100,"isEquityFocusV1":true,"teacherScreenName":"Mr. Finney","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"-1084602521","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Flushing","teachersOnPage":[106232],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":399007,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":3719,"schoolName":"Flushing International High School","authorIds":{"106232":{"owner":"Mr. Finney","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[399007],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherHasProfilePhoto":false,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":34629,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["NTMwODk5","NTczMzcx"],"teacherId":106232,"schoolCounty":"Queens","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NY","name":"New York"}}
